No One Decides My Fate But You
by Cheshire's Chipped Cup
Summary: When Bae leaves home in hopes of finding a cure for his father's curse, a lovely woman named Belle helps him out, quickly getting herself taken as Rumple's prisoner where things start to get messy. Rumbelle love, rated for smut later on, also Bae/Moraine and Red Cricket pairing
1. Once Upon a Curse

_First Rumbelle fic, lets see how it goes. This story is generally about Belle and the incredibly mysterious and sexy Rumplestiltskin, but Bae does have a large part in it too. Flames are allowed, always open for creative criticism but I really hope you'll all love this story as much as I love writing it._

_If response is really good, next chapter will be up tomorrow._

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Blood filled the sky, a ghostly cloud of death and horror always etched into the blue, overshadowing the beauty and simplicity that had once lived there so very long ago. For generations this battle had been fought, helpless, untrained men, women and children sent to fight against blood-thirsty ogres who were void of human emotions like love and compassion.

Idiotic creatures who loved the sound of breaking bones and the endless screams of fear and pain; they knew nothing else. People wanted them gone simply because they could not control or defeat them, in their minds, humans were the evil ones.

An incessant affair of misunderstandings and revenge-fuelled attacks had led to the pain and misery of the small little villages in the Frontlands.

The age had been lowered to fourteen and the children were taken even sooner, parents who thought they had more time, showering their children with all the love and affection they could bestow because they knew it would not last. On the ground, in filth and dirt they would lie on that fateful day, when the one thing they cherished more than anything in the world was ripped away from them and they were powerless to stop it. Thin and weak, their hearts bleeding with anguish and misplaced blame which fed the ever growing guilt.

Why couldn't they stop it? Why couldn't they be different? Why couldn't they stand up to the cruel knights who stole the happiness from their world?

Because the Dark One served them.

One man with more power than any should possess was controlled by the Duke and because of him they were powerless to stop the evil that was being enacted upon their land.

When a girl called Moraine was taken away to the wars, one man feared for his son's life and found a way to break this chain of torment and grief.

By taking the power of the Dark One for himself.

On this day in the late of autumn, the man who had previously been known as the village coward, stepped out into the field of battle and made it stop. He made a truce with the ogres and satisfied their need for control over their own lives and environment, locating them a place to live where no man would venture.

And then he led each and every child back to their greatly missed homes and their tear-soaked parents who could only look up at the beast and beam with happiness and gratitude, for he had brought joy back into their lives.

When the new Dark One had walked back to the poor little village and returned Moraine to her blissfully elated mother and father, they still had been terrified of him and treated him like a monster. He hadn't cared for it as all he had wanted then was to return to his son who had lived without him for the days he had taken for his mission.

He walked inside the dank, shabby hut and found his son by the fire, curled up with tears on his face. When questioned, the boy had told his father that even though he had returned, his father was still gone, taken over the by the numinous monster inside.

From that day forward, Baelfire had never been able to truly trust his father again, no matter how much he tried to be the man he once was. His father had never had a lust for power, he was not accustomed to it and it had been only too easy for the seductive magic to take him over once he knew what it felt like.

Now he knew what power was and what it promised him, he was not going to give it up. He could finally protect his son for the first time in his life, never the old man, never the coward, never the cripple ever again. No one would hurt him or his son and if they tried he would punish them.

That was where the trouble began, because normally no one paid much attention to Baelfire and treated him just like every other child in the village. If he stumbled in front of a cart or bumped into someone while they were walking, they would scold him for not looking or for getting in the way. Whether Bae was actually at fault in anyway didn't matter in the least, because the moment Rumplestiltskin heard someone yelling at his son, his temper flared.

Simply stepping outside the hut was enough to make the entire village cease to speak or move, for fear of what he might do should his attention be drawn to them. Anyone who caused trouble for Bae faced the wrath of his father, which more often than not resulted in death in a fairly unpleasant way.

After a lifetime of being abused, exploited and manipulated, the control and power flowing through his veins was like a drug and he couldn't let it go. All he had in his life that he could truly call his own was Baelfire and he was determined to keep him safe and happy.

But his son was not happy, because this power came with a price, and that price was his father.

Almost a year after the events of that day, things had only gotten worse.

"If I find a way to break the curse that doesn't kill you or hurt me, would you do it?"

"It's not possible."

The son and father argued over lunch, the man eating the soup with a carefree delight while the boy burned over what had happened only moments before. He had fallen in the street, tripped over and troubled a man with a donkey pulling a cart of chickens and eggs.

The moment his father had come out of the house, he had known it was all over, but still he tried to defend the poor man and make his father have mercy. But with a bad scrape on his left knee, Rumplestiltskin had heard none of it, turning the man into a snail and crushing him with the heel of his boot.

He didn't care whose life he took now, it didn't mean anything to him that his value for life had melted away to reveal the power-hungry creature that lurked within.

"But if it was possible-"

"Are you really that unhappy, Bae? I can conjure anything you desire."

A sad stare and a lonely heart was all the response he had.

"Name it, what do you want?"

"I want my father."

The remark had no impact on the Dark One whatsoever.

"All I want is your happiness, Bae; if you find a way...I'll do it."

A steady shake of hands and the boy smiled for the first time in weeks.

"The deal is struck."

If he found a way to save his father, then everything would be alright again. The people in the village could stop staring at him and the other kids wouldn't run away as soon as they saw him. With his father The Coward, Baelfire had been an outcast, but now that he was the son of the Dark One, people feared him as well.

All except for Moraine.

A young and sweet girl with ash brown hair and bravery unmatched by the other children in the village, she was the only one who would talk to him. Moraine, with her pretty blue dress and the front locks of her wispy hair pulled back off her face and tied behind her head, the rest of the cascade running down her back and curling over her shoulders. The way she would smile at him and call his name, like the voice of a sweet nightingale.

So soft and gentle but with the courage and fire of a childhood knight, she would play swords with him when he was on his own and she would tell him stories about the strange creatures she had seen on the battle fields, and about the day that his father had saved her and all the other children of the Frontlands.

If her parents weren't so terrified of him and his father, he might have thought to ask for her hand in a few years; for he could think of no one else he would want to spend the rest of his life with.

But something had to change.

He couldn't imagine his father actually letting him go to make his own life, and with his magic there was nothing he could do to stop him from keeping him locked up the hut for the rest of his days. His father couldn't live without him, he knew this, he couldn't live alone; he simply didn't have it in him.

Baelfire couldn't bear the idea of losing his father, so there was only one option; find someone to keep him company. Maybe if he married again or had another child, maybe a pet would be enough or even just having one single friend.

But how could you hope for that to happen when people were scared to death at the very sight of him? He was good man underneath; a caring, loving man; but only Bae could see it.

The only choice he had was to find a way to break the curse.

So in the dead of night, a week before his 15th birthday, Baelfire packed a bag and left the village to find that way.

He had no idea where his journey would lead or what it might entail, but he couldn't bear to see his father like this any longer. Whenever he went out to go to the shops or to visit Moraine, he could see the loneliness mixing in his eyes and knew that, even with his magic and power, he was still as lonely as he had ever been.

In the middle of the night, Baelfire escaped the house and fled into the forest, the only way he could think of to go that his father wouldn't immediately follow him. There were dangerous things in the forest, especially at night, and Baelfire was smart enough not to go near them. That knowledge would lead his father in a different direction and spare him time.

Just before he stepped inside, a quiet voice called his name.

"Moraine, what are you doing here?"

The girl approached him cautiously, a look of worry on her innocent face.

"What about you, Baelfire? What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to find a way to save Papa, even if that means leaving the village."

"Don't you know what's out there? This is the forest of nightmares, the moon brings out the worst of them."

"If it was really so bad, they wouldn't have built the village so close. What if there is something in there that someone is just trying to hide? What if there is magic? Magic that could help Papa?"

"Baelfire, please don't go, if you do we may never see each other again."

The hint of humidity in her eyes made his heart beat sadly for her. He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes, his heart beating faster with every passing second. They had never been so close before and he wanted to remember this moment, just in case she was right and he never returned.

Baelfire's mother had left them soon after he was born and his father had never been with another woman since, so he didn't really have any role models in terms of romance, but he did have very good instincts and those were what he was listening to right now.

"I would rather not leave, but this can't go on, Moraine, he's getting worse every day, I need to do this; do you understand that?"

She nodded, fighting the tears that wanted to spill from her lovely hazel eyes.

"I want to help, maybe I could tell your father so that he won't go after you."

"No, I don't want you to go near him. He won't understand and I don't want him to get angry at you...I don't want you to get hurt. Please, promise me you won't talk to him or visit him, please."

"Ok, I promise, as long as you promise to come back."

"I promise, one way or another, I'll come back."

A small smile found its way to her lips and it made him all fuzzy inside.

She slipped the little braid and bead bracelet she was wearing off her wrist and slipped it onto his. "I'll want that back someday." She told him, smiling, as if he needed any more incentive to return.

He released her hands and stepped back, preparing to say goodbye. The look in her eyes made his stomach twist as she showered him with a series of wildly different emotions on her face.

Just as he was about to step into the forest, she moved forward and placed a light kiss to his cheek before running back into the shadows, returning home before her parents noticed her absence.

Baelfire swallowed, his heart fluttering inside his chest as he thought about the bashful smile that had been on her face as she ran back home. Oh yeah, he was definitely coming back.

Taking a deep breath and turning towards the cold darkness, Baelfire walked inside the forest, determined not to return until he found a cure; but determined to return none the less. After all, he had someone waiting for him, and he was not going to let her down.

... ...

Daylight peeked under the door and through the openings between the curtains, drawing the Dark One from his sleep. Lately he had been making renovations on the shabby little hut to make it more pleasing to live in, today he was thinking of making Bae his own room perhaps, although he didn't know if he could still sleep without the soft sound of his son's breathing beside him in the neighbouring bed.

Rolling over to see if said son was still sleeping, Rumplestiltskin was surprised to find the bed empty. It was dawn, Bae never got up that early before. He drew himself out of his own bed, changing into a red silk shirt and brown leather pants and boots and went in search for the lad.

"Baelfire! Where are you?"

He called throughout the house, a wave of anxiety coming over him when he failed to get a response. While the place was a little bigger than before, there was no reason why they wouldn't be able to hear each other from the other side of the house; or even from out in the sheep pen.

Maybe he had gone to visit his friend, that girl with the braids. _What was her name? Moraine, that's right. _But she wouldn't be awake this early, she didn't have to work, her parents were one of the wealthier families in this town, regardless of how little that really meant here.

He decided to wait for an hour or two, just in case Bae had just stepped out to do something, his son was entitled to his freedom, just as long as he came home. But after sitting at his spinning wheel, letting time roll on by with every loop of the wheel, he came to realise that something wasn't right.

Rumplestiltskin left the cottage and went straight to the home of Baelfire's lifelong friend. He knocked on the door placidly, holding back his fear and anger. He was pleasantly surprised to see the girl answer the door, thinking most parents would advise their children against such a thing with him living so close by.

"Good morning, Moraine, I was wondering if you had seen Baelfire today?"

The girl forced herself to smile, summoning up the bravery she had used to face the Ogre Wars.

"No, I'm sorry I haven't, wasn't he at home this morning?"

"No, he wasn't."

The anger on his face was growing and Moraine couldn't tell if it was directed at her or Bae.

"Maybe he went to the market; one does get the best service when you go early."

"The market won't be open for another hour, girl, and he has been missing for three."

She could see he was losing patience with her and knew that he wasn't buying her story.

"Well...I..."

"Where is he, dearie?"

Rumplestiltskin grinned at her and she felt a shiver run down her spine, so much for keeping herself safe from him.

"I don't know."

"Now, you see I think you do, and you should tell me right now before I lose my temper and do something I would rather not, as my son is so very fond of you. But I will hurt you if you don't tell me the truth right now."

"I am telling the truth, I don't know where he is."

Suddenly, his hand was around her neck and her parents were running to the door, having just awoken to the sound of their daughter's voice.

"Wait, stop! Please don't hurt her, please Rumplestiltskin."

Moraine's mother begged him, her face showing a facsimile of the horror that had been on her face the day Moraine had been taken.

"I will release her as soon as she tells me where my son is."

Moraine's father was close behind.

"Please, you can't do this, you can't, I beg you."

That brought a snarl to the Dark One, but his eyes never left the young girl's face.

"You owe me your daughter's life; you do not have the right to tell me what I can or cannot do."

Fear gripped at the girl's heart and she finally began to really see the monster that had taken Baelfire's father. His hand around her neck sat comfortably there, he wasn't hurting her or even blocking her airway much, he was just holding her.

"I promise you, I don't know where Baelfire is, you know I would tell you if I did, don't you?"

He seemed to contemplate that for a moment before releasing her.

"You are an honest girl, I believe that, but if I should discover that you are keeping something from me, I will be back to collect on your dept to me."

She nodded her understanding, being too scared but also too surprised to answer.

Rumplestiltskin ignored her parents completely as he turned away. As soon as Moraine had closed the door, her parents wrapped themselves around her, hugging her tightly.

"My god, Morrie, what were you thinking? You shouldn't have been anywhere near that boy, he is dangerous."

She pushed away from them and scowled.

"Baelfire isn't the one who is dangerous, his father is, and I'm not going to let that stop me from seeing him. Baelfire is a good person and he would never let his father actually hurt me. If it wasn't for my friendship with him, Rumplestiltskin might not have taken mercy on me just then."

She really hated it when everyone blamed Bae for the sins of his father, even when it was her loving parents.

"But you were telling the truth, right? You don't know where the boy is, do you?"

"No, I don't."

And it was the truth, she knew he had gone through the woods, but that was hours ago, she had no idea where he was now.

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_Yeah, I kind of love Bae and Moraine, so they get parts too in this. R&R can't wait to hear what you guys think_


	2. The Spinner Boy

Deep in the forest, past the border of the village and nearing the edge of the Frontlands, Baelfire was travelling well. He had packed plenty of food in his bag along with certain items to help him make his way; such as a box of matches.

He hadn't slept at all last night, being too afraid of the creatures in the woods to allow himself that peace, but now it was taking its toll. For a boy of only 14, it was quite a tiring choice. His lids were heavy, but his will was stronger and he pushed through the fatigue until he had made it out of the woods.

Finally, he came to a road that promised to lead him to a place of comfort. The path was set in stone instead of dirt, which meant there was money here somewhere. He didn't need it, he had taken a handful of his father's golden thread before leaving, but a place like that could only offer some sort of shelter where he might be safe; at least he hoped so.

He followed the path for hours, each moment seeming to stretch into the next unannounced. As night began to fall on the world, Baelfire began to realise that he had been wrong, this was not a road to a city, it was a highway that led further than he could manage without shelter and sleep.

The second night of sleepless exhaustion began and the boy found it harder and harder to keep awake let alone continue moving. Finally, he couldn't fight it off any longer and he curled up beside a tree on the side of the road; the safest place he had to rest.

_His dreams took him over, wild flashes of light and dark, large green creatures crushing children with a step of their great feet; then he saw Moraine. She was running for her life, dark shadows chasing her through a field of blood and flame. _

_Suddenly, she was surrounded by ice and snow, shivering but still running for her life; fighting against the strong winds that tried to blow her back along the path. From the dusk came a figure, a man who Bae recognised far too well. Rumplestiltskin had a cruel grin on his face as he chased Moraine, catching up with her all too soon and threw her to the ground. _

_She called for him, over and over, "Bae! Bae! Help! Help me Bae!", but before he could breathe, the Dark One whipped his pointed nails across her throat and Bae watched in horror from some unknown place as she spluttered up blood, holding her throat, trying to stop the hot liquid from streaking down her neck and staining her pretty blue dress._

_No matter how he tried to move or scream, Bae could do nothing but watch her die._

His light blue eyes flew open in a panic, his breathing fast and heavy as he wiped the sweat from his brow. The sun was high in the sky, but the cold was bitter and hostile regardless. Slowly getting to his feet, Bae stretched out his arms and legs and headed off along the road, thinking that it had to lead somewhere.

He couldn't turn back now; he didn't even think he could find his way home now even if he wanted to. He had taken a strange route through the forest to try and confuse his father should he follow him, but it seemed he had confused himself instead. He needed to find somewhere to go, or else he would not be coming back.

Winter was on its way, really, a very stupid time to go on a quest but he couldn't wait any longer. He was really beginning to wish he had brought Moraine with him though, he was worried about leaving her in the same village as his father without him there to protect her. But his father knew she meant a lot to him and hopefully that would be enough to keep him from harming her. Otherwise...he couldn't even begin to think about that.

In the light of the dawn, he could see the road begin to grow into a town and his heartbeat quickened at the prospect of somewhere warm to rest. A wild storm crept across the horizon, sneaking up on the unsuspecting child. Just when he began to notice the approaching clouds, the storm hit hard, rocking him from one side of the road to the other.

Bae tried to run ahead of the storm, to escape the immense strength of the wind and the rain. The town wasn't too much further, but it seemed he would never make it as a particular stroke of wind almost seemed to wrap around him and throw him against a tree. He remained awake long enough to see the rain turn to snow, and then he blacked out.

... ...

In the light of the new day, Belle saddled up Phillip in preparation for a morning ride. She was just stepping out of the stable when a strong gust of wind chilled her through to the bone.

"Belle!" Her father called, appearing from the backdoor to the cosy house they lived in. "There is a storm on its way, Belle, don't go out today, come back inside."

"Papa, please." She smiled reassuringly at her father. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, besides, I need to go to the bakery."

"Can't it wait?" A touch of concern filled his voice, but also disappointment; he knew she had made up her mind.

"No, unless you want to starve today, I've been putting it off long enough." She mounted the chestnut horse and took hold of the reins. "Don't worry about me, Papa, I'll be careful."

She nudged Phillip's sides and he moved forward calmly, obediently following her each and every instruction. Maurice watched after his high-headed daughter, sighing in defeat. Even from the time she was a child he could never control her, she did as she pleased, but he had come to find that it was nearly always the right thing, so he let her.

Since the death of her dearly beloved mother, Maurice had strived to give her everything he could, to see to it that she wanted for nothing, but even though she was happy he couldn't help but worry about what she didn't have; a mother.

The storm tried to rock the little town, but the buildings were sturdy and prepared for this unpredictable weather as this was by far hardly the first strange squall. This area was known for wild blizzards and endless rain, a curse from the Queen of course, but the people refused to let her magic destroy their happiness.

Belle had her chestnut curls tied at the back of her head where they then coiled in a braid. The weather would not mess with her hair today, no matter how long it grew. In the past, before her hair had been long enough to probably tie up this way, locks of hair would fly free and get in her face constantly. The climate here seemed to have a mind of its own and she always strived to find a way to beat it whenever it challenged her.

Making her way to the bakery, Belle smiled brightly, looking forward to seeing her best friend along with this visit.

The blue-eyed beauty drew a lot of attention as she trotted through the town, a lot of it quite unwanted. Nearly every eligible man in town had tried to court her, but she was yet to find one who actually truly respected her. They all seemed to think that she should be cooking and cleaning instead of reading and while she was quite capable of doing both those things and much more, she had no intent on choosing a life where she should just become a meaningless piece of furniture for everyone to look at.

She wanted to make a difference in some way, to be more than just a little housewife.

Her best friend, Red, on the other hand, had a very different idea about her future.

Like the untamed weather, the dark-haired woman came running up to meet Belle, only waiting long enough for her to dismount Phillip before throwing her arms around her and pulling her into a big hug.

"Oh Belle, you'll never guess what happened!" As excited and eccentric as ever, she pulled back to gauge her reaction.

"What? Tell me." Belle requested, thinking she already knew what Red was about to tell her.

"Peter finally asked Granny permission to court me, isn't it exciting?" Red was all but jumping up and down.

"Well it is about time, he has been completely besotted with you since the both of you were children."

Peter had been Red's secret sweetheart since the both of them had come of age, but her Granny had always seemed a little suspicious of him and so they had refrained from telling her about them. It looked like something had altered.

"What happened? What changed?"

"I don't know, Granny just suddenly seemed more accepting of Peter, so we decided to give it a shot and she said yes!"

Belle laughed, she was used to seeing Red so excited, she was always giggling and jumping around about something, but she had to admit she had never seen such happiness on her face. She pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her cheek.

"I am so happy for the both of you, of course it isn't going to take long for him to court you, is it?"

Red turned exactly that colour, something that didn't happen often. She slipped her hand inside her pocket and pulled out a beautiful ruby engagement ring. It was small and silver, but beautiful none the less.

"How did he manage to afford that?" Belle studied the three small rubies carefully.

"He's been saving up for a long time and he does get plenty of work as a blacksmith."

The happiness was completely contagious and Belle couldn't keep the smile off her face as she hugged her best friend yet again. The girls held hands, swaying them from side to side joyfully as Red continued to tell Belle all about the plan to wait for a decent amount of time to pass before she slipped on the ring and they made it official.

Speaking of the devil, the not-exactly-tall, but dark and handsome man made an appearance behind Red, subtly brushing his hand around her waist. Red broke off from Belle and gave Peter a tender kiss on the cheek. Belle's grin covered her entire face and she curtsied in greeting.

"Hello Peter, I see things are going quite well between you and Miss Lucas."

"Indeed." He smiled sweetly at his clandestine fiancé. "Have you seen the gift yet?"

"Oh, I certainly have and I must say you have very nice taste."

"Thank you, Belle, we hope to see you at the party once we have made it official."

"I'll be the first one through the door. Now, I really do have some shopping to do, so I'll leave you two lovebirds and get on with it."

Said birds seemed only too happy to go for a wintery stroll together, the blustery winds only making the leisurely walk more fun as they had to cling to each other to keep their balance once they were in the open. Their joined laughter followed Belle all the way into the bakery, where Granny Lucas was waiting for her favourite customer to arrive.

"Good Morning, Granny, it seems there is big news in your family." Belle said as she entered, looking around at the grand selection of rolls, loafs and delicious cakes.

"Oh, don't take me for a fool." Granny said, already collecting together Belle's usual order and setting it on the counter. "I know what's been going on between those two since the beginning."

"And yet now you've decided to let it grow, why?" She didn't want to pry, but she was curious as to what could have possibly changed the dear old stubborn woman's mind.

"Red wouldn't stop going on about him, always trying to convince me he was a good boy and he worked hard and he would make a good husband. I finally decided to let her figure things out for herself, men are not reliable creatures. They drink and talk and do as they please, gamble away your hard-earned money and then come home at night smelling like cheap perfume."

Belle was a little shocked, Granny wasn't normally quite so forward about her opinion towards men, and she had to wonder whether she had made this decision under duress.

"Well, even so, there are a few good men out there; surely her grandfather was one of them?" It was purely a question, having heard very little about Granny's late husband.

"Oh certainly not, he was a swine, just like the lot of them, just like Red's father. It took a great deal of energy for her mother to convince me to let her marry that man and look what happened."

Very little had been told about the death of Red's parents, all Belle knew for sure was that they had been out one night and something had gone terribly wrong. Red's father had been attacked by what seemed to be some sort of wolf and her mother had a series of knife marks in her back. The watch had decided they had been killed by a serial killer and his pet dog, although there was never any evidence to prove this theory.

"Not all of them are like that, my father isn't." She was grasping at straws here but she knew it was the truth.

"Your father is a one in a million, girl, there aren't a lot more of those around, let alone in this town."

Belle shrugged, being unable to change the woman's mind, she paid for the order and left without another word. Granny had always been one to complain about men, Belle had to wonder why she had ever gotten married.

Tucking the loaves of bread safely in a side bag on Phillip's saddle, Belle hopped on his back and directed him towards the highway. The wind had begun to settle down now and it was safe enough to leave the border of the town.

Belle liked to wander the edge of the town and make sketches of the animals that peeked out from the boundary of the forest that surrounded it. She had seen many different creatures hiding in the shadows, ones she read about in her books. One time she could have sworn she had seen some kind of wolf, but she couldn't really be sure. There were plenty of wolves in that forest for sure, but none had been seen quite as big as the one she had observed.

Today, it was fairly quiet, the animals of the forest taking refuge from the storm. The sky was clear and blue as the sea, but it still rained and bristled, although Belle hardly noticed. With her pale emerald cloak covering her, she didn't even feel the rain, and the cold was not strong enough to reach through her fur-lined leather gloves.

It seemed it would be a disappointing day for drawings when a dark figure caught the young woman's eye. The rain slowed into snow and as she got closer to the shape she realised it was a boy. As if gliding, Belle landed on her feet and rushed over to the child lying unconscious in the coming snow.

Brushing her hand across his face, he felt so cold. She carefully lifted his face to find a bad bruise on the side where he appeared to have hit his head on something. It wasn't bleeding thankfully, but it would still cause a lot of pain. She scooped the boy into her arms and carefully placed him in the saddle, making sure he was secure before taking hold of the reins and slowly leading Phillip home; a hand on the boy's back to keep him from slipping to the side.

Once they reached the stable, Belle pulled the child down into her arms and placed him on a bale of hay while she undressed Phillip and put him in his pen before returning to pick up the boy once again and carry him inside.

He was unusually light for his size and Belle wondered how underfed the poor boy was. With a slight kick to the back door, her father came running to help her bring the boy inside. She placed him down on the bed in the guest room and asked her father to bring her supplies to tend to his injury.

A small grumble came from the boy, who was dressed rather practically if not slightly poorly. His clothes had no decoration, were not thick enough for winter and a cloak made of coarse wool with a series of tiny holes signifying its age. She untied the knot and removed the cloak, seeking out a blanket to put over him instead.

Belle searched through the bag the boy had been carrying, trying to see if she could find something that might tell her who he was. There was a little bit of wrapped up food, a blanket, a box of matches, a few other nicks and knacks, and about a handful of what appeared to be golden thread. Her light blue eyes stared at the extraordinary strands, wondering where such a thing was made and how a boy who appeared to have lived a life of poverty could have come across the ownership of it.

With a pained groan, the boy began to stir, and Belle quickly sat on the end of the bed, running a gentle hand across his forehead; trying to sooth the pain.

When his eyes opened she found herself slightly dazed at how warm and gentle they looked, a similar blue to her own, they didn't look hardened by a life of struggle, if anything they looked like the eyes of a well-loved prince.

"Hi there," She started, smiling at him. "How are you feeling?"

Baelfire wasn't sure if he was seeing things or not, his head ached and his vision was slightly blurry, the light stinging his eyes. There was a beautiful woman sitting beside him, stroking his head soothingly; helping him to relax.

"My head hurts a little," He said, staring at her. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"You're safe," She smiled reassuringly, "My name is Belle, I found you on the side of the road; what's your name?"

She spoke with the voice of an educated woman and he felt the urge to address her as a lady, wondering how such an angel had come to find him out in the storm.

"I'm Baelfire, Miss."

"It's nice to meet you Baelfire."

Maurice returned then with a bowl of warm water, a washcloth and a few oils and bandages, not entirely sure of the extent of the boy's injuries.

"Why hello there, young feller, nice to see you awake." He placed the bowl and oils on the bedside table and handed the rest to Belle.

"This is my Papa, Maurice, Papa this is Baelfire."

"You can just call me Bae if you like."

Belle smiled, softly ruffling Bae's mess of chocolate tresses, making him smile back.

"Bae, what were you doing out on the road? It isn't safe out there during the early morning, the Queen cast a spell on the town to cause erratic weather."

"Why did she do that?"

"No one really knows, some think it's because someone who once lived here incurred her wrath but no one knows for sure."

Baelfire pushed himself up into a sitting position, only then noticing the warm blanket that had been pulled up to his waist. He realised that his cloak was missing and he quickly checked his left wrist to make sure the bracelet wasn't missing as well.

A sigh of relief flooded out when he found it tied around his wrist, as perfect as it always was. Belle noticed his sudden attention to the little trinket and couldn't help but ask.

"Is that important to you?"

Bae was dazed for a moment, thinking of Moraine could do that to him.

"Yes," He blushed, something which made Belle smile even more, "A close friend gave it to me to make sure I came home."

"Why? Were you going away? Is that why you were on the road?"

He wasn't sure he wanted to go around telling everyone his father was the Dark One, it wouldn't end well for him or his father if he started doing that.

"I was looking for a cure for my father, he is under a curse."

Sadness crept into Belle's eyes and she stroked the boy's head once again to comfort him. "What kind of curse?"

He closed off at that point and she decided it was a subject better not discussed; at least not yet.

"What were you planning to do?" After all, wandering along the road didn't lead to much.

"I...I don't know...I had a thought that maybe there might be some answers in a book somewhere..." He dipped his head, his eyes brimming with embarrassment. "...only...I don't know how to read."

Belle slipped her finger under his chin and brought his face up to look at her. "I can read, I could teach you if you like."

His face lit up with a smile and he threw his arms around her. "I would love that, then I could read books and find a cure for my father!"

Belle hugged him back, petting the top of his head. "You are going to need a little time to heal, while you're here I would be happy to teach you."

"Thank you, Belle!"

All she could do was smile.

She wasn't sure why she wanted to help this boy so much, it wasn't like she didn't have things to do, but his bright blue eyes warmed her heart and she felt like this was the right thing for her to do.

... ...

The forest boomed with light and the deafening sound of explosions as wave after wave of gold light stretched further and deeper throughout the woods.

Rumplestiltskin had turned the village upside down, just short of destroying it and killing everyone. His son was missing and someone was responsible, and when he found out who that someone's blood would soak the earth as he tore them to shreds.

With each passing day of his son's absence, his temper grew to an irrepressible level, his storm was growing while he sat inside his home, magic fizzling at the tips of his fingers while his rage sat in a very precarious state.

No one dared enter his home or set foot within ten feet of his land, he had already killed one boy and his family when the smart-mouthed bully had decided to face the monster and say some rather unpleasant things about Rumplestiltskin's son. He would say the kid had it coming, but even he would have no excuse for the death of the boy's parents except for the sake of unleashing his anger where he could.

He could feel his magic growing stronger, seeping out...it was getting closer...Bae wasn't far...

But the time and concentration it took to cast this spell was driving him insane, this was taking too long! His son might be in trouble and he had to find him now!


	3. Time To Make a Deal

_I want to thank all of you for your lovely reviews, I'm glad this story is making you guys so happy. My updates might be in days or weeks but I will try not to keep you guys waiting for long._

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Three days had passed since Belle had found her new ward on the side of the road and he was healing well. Belle soon discovered he was a very bright boy and he was learning quickly, she wondered if it was really his determination alone that allowed him to have gotten almost half of the alphabet down in three days.

When she entered the guest room that morning she found him with a sheet of parchment and a quill in his hands, a little ink pot on the bedside table. He was practicing how to write out the letters he knew. Belle moved to sit beside him on the bed and inspect his work.

"I think I'm finally getting used to this quill, I only know how to use charcoal."

Belle smiled sympathetically, with the lessons came the socialising and she was coming to understand he had had a very poor life up until about a year ago, but that was all he would say on the subject. She leaned over to look at his work, feeling a sense of pride swell in her chest at the list of well-written if not slightly wobbly letters.

"The 'A' needs a longer line just there, otherwise it looks like a four." She pointed to the letter, slowly tracing her finger down to the point where the line was supposed to end. He seemed awfully good at this for someone who was just beginning. "Have you ever learnt any of this before?"

"My father tried to teach me some, but he only knows a few letters and one or two words."

Her heart ached for the boy, wishing she could give him a better life, but it wasn't her place to decide his fate. With the gold thread in his bag he seemed to be on the rise in wealth, but that didn't necessarily mean that it was a better life.

A clash of thunder made the both of them jump, breaking into laughter.

"Wow, the weather here really is strange." Bae said, looking out the window.

"You get used to it after a while, the houses have been built to stand against it and as long as you don't try to go outside the boundary you'll be safe."

A frown crossed the boy's gentle face. "You can't leave the boundary?"

"You can try, but the weather seems to get really wild whenever anyone gets too close to the forest, or gets too close to the town from the other side, it really starts to get violent."

"Is it supposed to keep something in or keep something out?"

Belle paused for a moment, she had never thought of the spell as being constructed like that before. "I don't know, I never looked at it that way, but that does seem to make some sense. No one ever comes here or leaves here, whenever someone has tried, bad things have happened."

"Sounds more like a curse than a spell..." Bae dropped his head and Belle decided it was now or never.

"Baelfire, will you tell me what kind of curse your father has? I might be able to help." She didn't know a thing about curses but she could read quite quickly and accurately. While teaching him to read she could be looking for answers, as she was beginning to get the impression that time was precious.

He turned his face away for a long, drawn out moment before his eyes locked with hers. "He is the Dark One..."

A shocked gasp escaped her lips before she had a chance to stop it.

She had heard stories about the Dark One, how he had destroyed kingdoms and killed a thousand men, but the stories all gave different descriptions of the creature while all being the same. He would be large, thin, short hair, long hair, no hair at all; it left the stories sounding like fables.

"I thought the Dark One was thousands of years old." She admitted, wondering if this boy had the missing piece to make this puzzle make sense.

"The Dark One isn't exactly one person, it's a power that has lived in lots of different people. The curse changes bodies whenever the last one is killed...my father took the power to save me from the Ogre Wars but...but now it has corrupted him...he kills people all the time and I can't stop him." Bae stopped for a minute to compose himself. "He made a promise with me, if I manage to find a way to cure him that won't kill him or hurt me he promised he would do it...but I don't know if he will keep it."

Stroking his cheek warmly, Belle smiled with complete sincerity. "If he made a promise to you, I'm sure he will; just have faith. There is no point in worrying about that until we find something, and then that issue can be addressed, alright?"

He nodded, a slight smile budding on his face.

Another clash of thunder, a little too loud made them jump again, but this time they didn't laugh. Belle leaned across the bed, looking out the window. There were no clouds in the sky, no rain on the glass, but she could definitely hear the snap of electricity in the air, the crackle of a storm and the pop of magic that wasn't unusual to hear during one of the spell's thunderstorms.

Bae leaned over too, trying to look at whatever had captivated her attention. "What's going on, Belle?"

"I don't know, Bae," her eyes glued to the outside world, "I don't know."

She left the bed to go outside and check things out, when a thump caught her interest and she looked over to see Baelfire climbing out of bed. He was well enough to step outside the door, she supposed, but she made sure he had some shoes on before he went anywhere near the exit.

The two of them stepped out to be greeted unceremoniously by a strong wind and a snapping light that shot out across the sky. It was like lightning except that it struck out horizontally instead of vertically; something Belle had never seen before. She placed an arm protectively around Bae as they walked towards town together, hoping someone in the gathering crowd might know what was going on.

They found Red and Peter standing off to the side, eyes staring up at the sky with trepidation and perplexity. Walking over to the couple, Belle gently brushed her hand against Red's elbow to inform her of their presence. She spun around like she was on fire and then threw her arms around Belle, hugging her fiercely.

"Oh my gods, Belle, do you have any idea what's happening?" She asked quickly, pulling back to look her friend in the eye.

"Less than you, I'm sure."

"The sky is doing really weird things, Jefferson was claiming he saw purple smoke but...well, you know, he's always been a little mad so I don't know whether to believe him or not." Red shrugged innocently.

Belle frowned, looking back up at the sky. Purple smoke and flat lightning? That wasn't normal even by this town. Another burst of light brightened the sky, making everyone jump; it sounded as close as it looked.

"Is this the Queen's curse? Or something else?" Belle thought out loud.

Bae suddenly grabbed Red's arm. "Did you say purple smoke?" He asked, looking frightful.

"Yeah, why? Does that mean something?" She tilted her head in question.

He stepped behind Belle, releasing Red's arm and holding onto hers instead. "That's the Dark One's magic."

Red's eyes enlarged rapidly, her hand smacking against her mouth in shock. "The Dark One? What does he want here?"

Belle looked down at Baelfire fearfully.

"Me." Bae admitted.

Something clicked in Red's mind and she realised what was going on. "What should we do?"

"I don't know..." Belle wrapped her arm around Bae and hugged him against her side.

The boy had never said anything about his father hurting him and from what she had been told he seemed to love his son very much, but as the Dark One, Belle wasn't ready to take chances. She ushered the boy away from the crowd and towards the boundary of the town, the weather curse was starting to pick up and clash with whatever magic the Dark One was sending their way.

They entered the house, there were things one would need in order to run. Baelfire watched as she started to bundle things into a bag and he suddenly realised what she was planning.

"Belle, we can't run away, once he knows I was here he'll tear the whole town apart to find me."

She froze instantly, looking up at him, her face the picture of horror. She dropped the bag and grabbed her cloak instead, tying it around her neck and grabbing a shroud she had bought for Bae yesterday, putting it around his shoulders.

"If we can't run, then we'll go to him."

"Wait, what? Belle, what are you thinking?"

She moved towards the front door of the house and he bolted after her.

"He'll kill everyone, so I'll make a deal with him to keep you and everyone else safe."

"Whoa," He grabbed her arm, "He won't agree to that, he's looking for me and he isn't going to leave without me."

"Do you want to go back to your father?" She suddenly realised she had forgotten to ask, feeling quite horrible.

Baelfire stopped. "I want to find a cure, but if I have to go back I will. He won't hurt me, never, and it would mean I could check on Moraine." He said absentmindedly.

"Moraine?" Belle wasn't able to hold back a slight grin. "Is that the one who gave you that bracelet?"

A blush reddened his face and Belle giggled.

With the force the force of a hurricane, the roof of the house was suddenly whisked away as if it was nothing more than hay. Sharp screams and cries reached their ears, the sound of chaos in the street as people ran for their homes.

A fire suddenly spread throughout the house, rising up against the walls and burning away what was left of them. Thick smoke filled the room, choking the pair. Baelfire fell to the floor, coughing roughly. Belle ran to his side, putting her arms around him and hugging him to her chest.

She heard a scream that sounded chillingly like Red and a sob caught in her throat. Her friend was in trouble, she needed to go to her and make sure she was alright, but she couldn't leave Bae alone. They needed to get out of here, the smoke was choking the both of them, Bae having already fallen unconscious.

Before she could think of a way out, a man appeared in the doorway, dressed in a dark red cloak that reached the floor. His eyes were black as night, his grey-brown curls wild as they framed his face. His skin was scaly and grey, the fire playing furiously across his face.

Despite the fierceness of the fire, it never left the walls, the floor was scorched at the sides but it never caught the blaze. Belle crawled into the corner, discovering that the fire on the walls wasn't actually hot. Her back was against the wall, feeling no extra warmth. She hugged Baelfire in her arms, keeping his face hidden from the smoke in a desperate attempt to protect him from further damage.

The man walked towards her, purple electricity crackling at his fingertips. "Hand. Him. Over." He commanded heatedly.

Belle tightened her hold. "No." Bae seemed convinced his father wouldn't hurt him, but the look in the man's eyes made her question even the boy's wise judgement.

The fire grew warm, licking at her face and shoulders.

"Let him go now! Or I will burn this town to the ground!" He bellowed, a voice so cruel it chilled her to the bone.

"Wait! I'll make a deal with you, take me instead of him."

"He comes with me either way, you're gonna have to do better than that!"

Belle stroked Bae's face gently, having grown quite fond of the boy over the few days they had known each other. She saw a shadow cross the man's face and he suddenly looked even more furious when he noticed the bruise on the side of the boy's head.

"You hurt him?" He whispered in a breathless growl.

"No, I..."

"I will kill you!"

Her bravery failed her when the fire burned her back, she screamed in pain as the back of her dress was burnt away to expose her bare skin to the flame, allowing it to feed off her. Tears spilled from the corners of her eyes, but she never let go of Bae.

Throughout the pain, she screamed and wailed, but she kept her eyes open and glaring at the man, her sight never wavering.

The burning stopped and Belle sucked in a deep shuddering breath as sobs wracked her body. She gritted her teeth together, her pain still dripping off her chin.

"Now," His tone was strangely quiet all of a sudden, "Are you going to release him or do I have to destroy everything and everyone in this town to convince you?"

Belle hugged Baelfire as if her were her own, protecting him from this monster. There was no way she could keep him from this creature, if she continued trying he would kill her and take him anyway, and if she tried to run he would destroy the town; he might be planning to do that anyway.

"If I let you take Baelfire you have to take me too."

He cocked his head to the side, but he looked more confused than angry. "And why should I do that?"

"I will go with you and do whatever you want...in return for you leaving my friends and family alive and not wiping out the town." If she could go with Bae then maybe she might be able to protect him.

"And why shouldn't I just kill you on the spot?"

Ever the brave soul she was, she showed no fear. "Because I can help you."

"To do what?" He snarled.

"To protect him..."

Silence encased the two of them for a long moment, broken only by the crackle of the fire. He stared at her for what felt like an eternity, thoughts soaring through his mind unspoken. She couldn't read his expression at all, a fact which frightened her quite a bit.

Finally, his lips moved into a sly grin. "Deal."

Before she knew what was happening, the three of them were suddenly in a small house with a wood floor, her head was spinning and Baelfire groaned in her arms. He opened his big blue eyes to look up at her.

"Are you ok, Belle? What happened?" He looked around in shock before turning back to her. "What happened? Why did he bring you here?"

"Bring me where?"

"Home."

* * *

_Dun dun! We have entered the beast's lair..._


	4. Awkward Start

_Ok, so you may have noticed the time between updates grows each time, I promise to keep up with this story, but school does get in the way sometimes...along with all the other stories I'm writing. I sort of lost the plot for a bit when a friend of mine introduced me to SGU, starring the fantastic Robert Carlyle, so go check out Rumplestiltskin in a new skin if you have the time._

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Belle's eyes widened, glancing around at the not-exactly-poverty-stricken building, multiple rooms all joined to each other with open doorways, a kitchen at the back and a living space with a sizzling fire next to it made up the majority of the house. There was food, a strange collection of glass bottles and jars sitting on the ceiling-to-floor shelves framing the way to the kitchen, and a scatter of candles on nearly every surface.

Suddenly, Bae was ripped from her arms and she looked up in shock at the monster, holding his son's hand and placing him behind him; standing between him and Belle like she was some kind of rabid animal.

The look on his face made her blood run cold but before he was able to inflict any further pain on her, Bae grabbed his arm and tugged hard enough to get his attention. "Don't hurt her, Papa, she helped me."

"_Helped_ you? She kidnapped you, Bae!"

"What? I wasn't kidnapped, I ran away."

The look on his face suddenly made her feel sad for him, despite what he had proven to her to be. He didn't even bother to try to hide his sentiment, his now greenish-bronze skin curling and twisting into a pained frown of confusion.

"Why?" He whispered, the terrible creature that mercilessly burnt her back only minutes ago gone from existence.

"Because you won't listen to me, you hurt people all the time even when I beg you not to and you never listen! I went to find a cure because I can't keep living like this, Papa, I can't keep living here with you if you are going to kill anyone who speaks to me."

The boy's admission was strained and Belle could see how reluctant he was in finally speaking this truth, but he knew just as well as she did that it needed to be said.

His father was silent for a long time, Belle could see the muscles in his arm twitching like it wanted to reach up and strike him, but he refused to harm his son and he fought back against the urge. His hands were tightened into fists as he fought against whatever power had taken him over and she suddenly realised that there was more going on here.

"Go tend to the sheep, Bae, they've been neglected lately." He told him casually, trying to hide the tension in his voice.

"No."

"Bae..." He warned.

"I'm not going anywhere until I know that you aren't going to hurt Belle...and until I see Moraine."

Belle was amazed at the child's courage.

The Dark One stared at his son for a pause, before he turned away from Belle and opened the door with a flick of his hand. That wasn't enough for Belle to think this was over, but it seemed to be enough for Bae, who smiled at her, relief flooding his face, before he walked outside to go check on Moraine.

He closed the door behind him and she was suddenly left alone with the beast. He had his back turned to her for the moment, but after a few minutes he turned to face her, leaning back against the counter of the kitchen, crossing his arms across his chest and staring down at her on the floor.

Belle wanted to stay silent, but she couldn't help the feeling that told her that he wasn't going to be the one to break the silence.

"So, what are you going to do to me?" Might as well find out now and handle this while Bae wasn't around.

"Get up." He hissed. When she didn't, he repeated himself with a growl. "Get. Up."

She scurried to her feet and stood up tall, wincing as her back exploded with pain. He cocked his head to side rather sharply before realisation came over him. Pursing his lips together in a fine line, he lifted a hand and waved, speaking quietly.

"Turn around."

She made no move to do so, for fear of not being able to keep her eyes on his every move, but he didn't repeat himself this time. Instead, he waited for her to make up her mind and give in, slowly turning around to expose her naked and badly burnt back. It was indecent as it was for him to see the way her dress was hanging on her shoulders, ruined, let alone the back of her corset with holes in the fabric and lastly the black spots that scattered her back beneath the missing sections of fabric.

She tried to keep perfectly still as she heard him make his way across the room, she held back a shiver when she could almost feel his breath on the back of her neck. But when his sharp claw brushed against her shoulder blade, she shuddered. So this was what he was going to do to her.

Her bravery failed her when he placed his hand flat against her upper back, curling the tops of his fingers over her shoulder, and she sucked in a breath sharply. A whimper escaped her as he trailed his fingers down her back, sparking an aching pain wherever he touched.

She closed her eyes, not wanting to think about what he was about to do to her. She felt a strange sensation against her back and heard a crackling sound, which succeeded in confusing her. Then the pain in her pack faded and she felt the holes in the corset and dress being repaired. When the crackling stopped, her burns were healed, her corset patched up and her dress repaired.

Before she had the chance to look over her shoulder at what he had done, his hands gripped her upper arms, pulling her body back flush against his. Doubts about his morals filled her head again, put to rest when he leaned in close to her ear and whispered, his voice tense and his fingers twitching against her skin.

"Don't tell anyone about this, understand?"

In her shock, all she could do was nod.

"Thank you." He spoke so quietly she almost didn't hear him, and then he released her.

Stepping away to sit at the spinning wheel placed at the back of the one-roomed house, he started feeding straw into it, behaving as if she wasn't even there. Belle couldn't help the slight shiver of relief that washed over her entire body. The sudden sound of his voice startled her and she turned around to look at him, even though he kept his gaze averted from her.

"You will serve me my meals, and you will clean the house."

She nodded and he continued as if he had seen her do so.

"You will dust my collection and mend and launder both mine and Bae's clothing."

"I understand."

"You will fetch me fresh straw when I'm spinning at the wheel."

"Ok."

"And you will teach Bae to read and write."

An expression of shock but not quite surprise covered her face and his eyes suddenly locked on her.

"That was not a quip, dearie."

She nodded quickly. "I understand." His gaze returned to his spinning.

"I will see to it that you are supplied with what you need for your duties, I suggest you get started on supper, dearie, never too early to get in some practice." His tone was cool and completely unemotional, as if he were telling her about the weather.

She headed towards the kitchen, stopping for a moment to look back at him. "Thank you..." _For not raping me? For not killing me? For healing my burns? For fixing my dress?_ She didn't have a clue why she said it, but the words seemed to surprise him as much as they did her.

"...Rumplestiltskin." He gave her.

She smiled weakly. "Belle."

She noted a slight tug at the corner of his lips, which he quickly put a stop to. For the first time in her life she wished she had the ability to read minds, never before had she wanted to know what someone else was thinking than right now.

Before he could change his mind about letting her live, she got to work on supper, using whatever she could find to make the best she knew how, hoping that a delicious meal might help win her some points in this.

... ...

Rumplestiltskin listened to her move about the kitchen, lighting the stove, the clinking of pots and pans; she seemed to have some idea what she was doing at least.

When he had found her in her house, holding his son in her arms like he belonged to her, his anger had flared. He had been more than surprised at the courage she had to continue to stand against him after he brought his fire up to scorch her back, but even more surprised when she had been willing to give up everything she had to protect his son and her town. Even after what he had done to her she was willing to put others ahead of her own suffering.

The pain at Bae's confession had nearly broken him though, the idea that his son had run away because of him would have destroyed him if he had known it before. It almost destroyed him now, but he was still here and that was the only thing helping him to breathe right now.

And then there was Belle, this beautiful girl willing to give everything up to keep his son safe and he didn't know how to react to that. No one but him had ever cared about Bae before and it filled him with a warm joy at the thought along with an increasing sense of uselessness. Even though he was the great Dark One, he couldn't teach his son to read and write, he couldn't educate his son anymore than he already had. He was useless to helping him learn, and while his powers allowed him to provide Bae with a much better future than he ever could have hoped for as a poor spinner, he knew his use was lessoning.

This woman was brave enough to stand up to him, meaning she could handle living here with him, while teaching his son all the things he couldn't. Not to mention he felt like a bloody right idiot for his behaviour today. If his son had been telling the truth, which there was no doubt in the world that he was, Belle had been helping him, not hurting him.

From the bruise he had spotted he could only conclude that Bae had gotten injured somehow and Belle had been looking after him; in which case he should be showering her with blessings and gifts instead of taking her from her home, her family and friends, and turning her into his sodding housekeeper.

But his desperate desire to hold onto the pride and dignity he never had, not to mention the fact he was still a coward no matter how much dark power he had, kept him from falling to her feet and begging for her forgiveness.

The power twisted in his mind and he suddenly realised how foolish that was, why the hell did he care whether they were even or not? She had given herself up and he was going to hold her to that. She was just another idiot to make a life-long deal with the Dark One, one of his first deals in fact and he should be feeling proud at having ringed her in so easily.

... ...

Bae really didn't like the idea of leaving Belle alone with his papa, but the fact that he hadn't heard any screams or shouting coming from his house reassured him that his father had listened to him this time. He didn't know how long he should wait before going back inside, so he sat across the street on a fallen log with Moraine by his side.

She placed her hand atop his, stretched out beside him.

"I'm really glad you're ok, Baelfire, I was worried." She smiled so sweetly that he immediately forgot everything that was going on inside his house right now.

"Me too, I was worried about you as well, Moraine, my father didn't hurt you did he?"

She shook her head, a dainty lock of her hair falling out of place and landing on her cheek. "No, he came to me the first day you were gone but he didn't hurt me. He is still your papa, just different."

Bae couldn't stop himself from reaching out and brushing the stray hair behind her ear. "I'm glad, I would hate if anything were to happen to you."

Her smile reached her cheeks, which were turning the most adorable rosy pink.

Bae smiled back before looking down at their hands on the log, which had curled around each other. His own cheeks flared with heat, an overwhelming sense of wonderful embarrassment.

He released her hand as he stood up, brushing himself off and taking a step towards the cottage. "I should probably check on them."

He smiled brightly, but he couldn't help but notice the slight look of disappointment in her eyes.

"Ok, I'll see you later?"

He wanted to take that look away, so he picked up her hand and brought her knuckles to his lips softly. "See you later."

He heard her giggle lightly as he dashed off towards his house, his heart fluttering with hope and light. He took one last look back at her, seeing her cradling her hand he had kissed and blushing, but it was that smile on her face that made it totally worth it.

He knocked on the door before he entered, and when he heard his father invite him in, he pushed it open to find his papa at the wheel and Belle in the kitchen.

"Ah, Bae, so how is little Moraine?" Rumplestiltskin asked, seemingly absentmindedly.

"She's fine...so why is Belle cooking?" He had to ask, he wanted to know what they seemed to have settled on, because it appeared that his father had healed her back from what he could see so he obviously wasn't planning to kill her.

Rumplestiltskin left his seat at the wheel and walked his son to the other side of the room.

"I've decided to keep her, she will clean and cook, and she will teach you to read and write."

Bae gasped at the last part. "Really?" His father approved of that?

"Yes, are you willing to study? She will teach you everything she knows...everything I can't teach you."

The look on his father's face nearly broke his heart, he looked almost desperate amongst his unspoken guilt. Bae wrapped his arms around his father, hugging him tightly and smiling at the small laugh that escaped his papa.

"Thank you, Papa, I promise I will study really hard, I promise."

"Good boy...and anyway," He started to walk back to his wheel, "we need a new maid."

A cold shiver ran down the boy's body and for the first time he realised Marie wasn't here. He grabbed his father's arm. "Why?"

"She heard us talking about the knife." He said under his breath, making sure Belle couldn't hear.

"She was mute, she couldn't tell anyone."

"Even mutes can draw a picture." He quipped and Bae realised that this story was far from a happy ending.

His father might have realised his mistake and tried to make things a little better, but the Dark One was still in control when it came to his inhibitions. Bae looked over at Belle with horror, fear running through his veins at the idea that his father might kill her as callously as he had Marie should she learn something she wasn't supposed to.

Thankfully, she didn't notice.

... ...

"Where is she? What happened to her?" Maurice screamed through the streets.

His daughter and Baelfire were missing and his house was half burnt down. The storm had passed and people were inspecting their houses and shops to see the damage, a surprisingly lack thereof had the whole town guessing what had happened.

A heartbreaking cry filled the air, screaming sobs kept the silence from taking over as a dark-haired woman stood over her lifeless love. Peter was on the ground, his blood still soaking the dirt between the stones. During the attack, things had been thrown around, most people had managed to escape major injury, but Peter was not one of them. A pillar had fallen over, aiming for Red when Peter had pushed her out of the way and given his own life instead.

Kneeling beside her fallen hero, Red screamed her pain and anger while her Granny stood by, knowing there was nothing she could do to ease her granddaughter's pain. While she still believed men were no good, she knew the pain of lost love.

She had been there for hours, refusing to move, refusing to leave his side even as his blood stained her dress. The town doctor, a man named Jiminy, watched from the side, feeling helpless and cowardly. He couldn't stand to see Red like this, such a happy and energetic girl curling up on the ground in tears.

He made a decision and stepped forward, being careful to avoid her arms as she tried to shove away anyone who tried to get close. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and her sobs calmed just a bit. Before she could think of a reason not to, she wrapped her hands around his, holding on as if her life depended on it.

How could this have happened? She and Peter had been so close, after all this time, they were so close and then this. She felt like her whole world was breaking down around her, all her plans, dreams, had been taken from her in one swift second. She was holding the ring he had given her to her chest, it was all she had left.

It took a near hour for Jiminy to slowly convince her to leave Peter's side, without his gentle touch and complete patience with her she may have never left that spot. As he walked her towards his house, she fell into a shocked silence, suddenly having no idea what to do or how to feel. He sat her down in his living room and put on some water to boil, tea being the only thing he could think of to do.

She sat there in complete silence, her tears having stopped in their path down her face, it was like she was completely frozen. She didn't notice the time pass as Jiminy poured the steaming water into a porcelain teapot and brought it over to the coffee table with two matching cups, sugar and milk. He sat down in the opposite chair and watched Red for a moment, trying to discern what kind of state of mind she was currently in.

Softly, he brushed his finger-tips across the top of her hand, hoping to get her attention. Her green eyes looked at him for the first time and he let out a sigh of relief; he had been worried she might fall catatonic.

"How are you feeling?" He asked quietly, making a cup of tea and cautiously handing it to her.

Red saw the tea and was about to quickly bring it to her lips when she felt a finger against her lips, blocking its path.

"Careful, its hot, wouldn't want you to burn yourself." He explained shyly, pulling his hand away.

She stared at him for a long moment, her brain working slowly at examining her surroundings and concluding what was going on. It was like dreaming, she didn't really feel like she was actually here, like she was watching someone else.

"Thanks..." It took her a minute to find the word.

"You're welcome." He offered her a weak smile. "How do you feel?" He asked again.

"Um...I don't know, like...this is a dream, like this isn't really happening...I feel...empty."

Sincere sympathy looked back at her, even though she wasn't able to make eye contact just yet.

"I understand, when we lose someone we love...its different for everyone. Some people do nothing but cry, some get angry, others do things they never would have considered in the past. Everyone searches for a way to fill the hole, but the only real cure is time."

A dark look came over her face and his senses suddenly went on alert.

"No, only one thing can help." She looked him straight in the eye, fear beginning to bloom.

"Red, you don't want to do that, it won't help, I promise you."

"Yes it will."

Nearly dropping her tea on the table, Red stood up so suddenly that Jiminy almost fell backwards. Her face was stained with tears, her hair a wind-whipped mess, blood still soaked into her dress, but the look on her face looked more than dangerous.

"Red, stop, you can't do this."

"Oh yes I can."

She walked through the hallway and straight into his office where he kept his collection. Ignoring the unloaded gun on the shelf, Red went for the wardrobe. Pulling open the doors with one swift move, she pulled out the crossbow and a handful of arrows, already moving back towards her own home where she would pack food and a map.

Jiminy followed after her, trying to grab her hand, get hold of the crossbow, anything to stop her. "Red, please, this isn't the way."

"That monster took my best friend and killed my fiancé, I don't care what kind of Dark One he is, I am going to track him down and then I'm going to kill him."

"Red, this is murder, you don't want to do this!"

"Oh yes I do."

She stormed out of the house, escaping his tail in the crowd. Jiminy froze, trying to come up with something, anything, he could do to stop her before she got hurt. There was only one person he knew who could help him.

... ...

"Widow Lucas!"

"Mr. Cricket, what is all the commotion about?"

Panting heavily, he dropped down, hands on his knees trying to hold himself up. "Red is going after the Dark One to get revenge."

The old woman's eyes widened. "My gods, that foolish girl!" She suddenly grabbed Jiminy's arm and dragged him towards her shop.

Once inside, she saw that Red had already been here, taking bread and pastries to feed her throughout her journey. Granny ran with surprising speed for a woman of her age into the pack room, returning not two seconds later with a thick crimson hood in her hands. She tossed the cloak at him and pointed towards the door.

"Go and find her and bring her back, there is no time to explain, find her and whatever happens, make sure she wears that hood!"

He wanted ask what was going on, but the fierce expression on her face sent him running. No one knew where the Dark One lived, the only clue he had was that the storm had come through the forest, so that was his best chance.

Barely making it to the border in time to spot Red disappearing into the woods, he took off after her.

* * *

_Not to fear, these two will continue to be a part of this story, I love them too much to let them fade into the background. Reviews are the life source that authors feed off, so give me something to eat so I can write faster :D _


	5. Humour Builds Bridges

_Wow, am I embarrassed, here I was thinking that chapter 5 was uploaded ages ago and I was fussing over the next chapter, I come to check where I'm up to and find the story a little behind. The next chapter will be up much faster, I assure you, to make up for this error. I would like to thank Sweetjoi3 for that wonderful review, it was enough to pull me away from my 15 other stories and get some work done on this one. I have a few Rush/Belle fics I'm working on, hopefully I'll be able to get through the problems I seem to be having with every one of them and upload them, so you guys who are fans of the pairing can have more to read.  
_

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Bae simply wasn't able to relax for the rest of that day, watching Belle and his papa like a hawk, watching for any signs that something was about to go wrong.

It was a little early for dinner, but when Belle served the meal of chicken and vegetables on the table, Bae realised how hungry he was. Rumplestiltskin sat down first, inspecting the food with a great deal of scrutiny. Bae did no such thing, he trusted that Belle wasn't going to poison them, so he tucked into his dinner the moment he sat down.

Belle stood at the edge of the table, not knowing whether she was welcome to eat with them or if she should take her meal elsewhere. Her master seemed to be rather deliberately ignoring her, so Bae patted the chair next to him, inviting her to sit beside him. She did just that with only a hint of hesitation, watching Rumplestiltskin's face carefully.

The three of them ate in a rather uncomfortable silence, Rumplestiltskin being the only one enjoying it.

"So, dearie, how much have you taught my son already?" He suddenly asked out of the blue, startling the others.

"Uh, he was practicing the alphabet, learning how to write the letters, I think he got up to...'K'?"

Bae nodded, a smile lighting up his face; a sight which brought a calm happiness to his father's eyes.

"I would very much like to see his progression at the end of the week."

Belle nodded in understanding.

No one said another word for the rest of the night until bedtime. Bae climbed into his bed in the corner, just left of the door, Belle tucked him in and said goodnight before returning to the main room where Rumplestiltskin was waiting for her.

He was sitting by the fire, running a long piece of gold thread through his hands. Belle took the second seat, wondering if this might be the time to ask the questions she had.

"Rumplestiltskin..." He ignored her. "...why...why..." She lost faith in her courage and fell silent.

"I let you live because there are things you can teach my son, knowledge is a very powerful thing. What kind of father would I be if I took that from him?"

She was a little surprised to hear his voice, but his removed tone was getting a little too familiar. Maybe it would be best not to ask questions, so she tried for conversation instead.

"You know I love the fire, one of my favourite places at home was to sit by the fireplace with a book, I find it, well, kind of amazing." A quirky smile grew on her lips as she looked into the dancing colours. "It can be such a destructive and terrible thing, and yet so beautiful and soothing."

He made no move to respond, but the thread stopped running through his hands.

"It can be strange sometimes, sitting by the fire...you feel like your protected, like the fire is keeping you safe." She laughed quietly. "When I was a child I used to think that the fire was some sort of magic spell watching over me at night while I slept. Strange how something so dangerous can make you feel so safe."

While her eyes were trained on the flames, out of the corner of her sight she saw his brow furrow. She wondered if he was going to say something, and when he didn't she turned her head away to hide her disappointment.

"You should be careful of the fire, because as safe as it might make you feel, its true purpose is to burn and kill. It wants it, is driven by it, it doesn't think...it just does...just like everyone else."

She looked at him curiously.

"It doesn't need to think before it acts because it just doesn't care, it does whatever it wants to do, gets a thrill out of the destruction it causes...it twists and kills and torments everything around it just for the fun of it..."

His voice was bitter, his lip curling, and Belle watched as his grip tightened around the string, as if squeezing the life out of it. The gold's shine faded, replaced by a thick dark matter that made it looked broken and bruised. It went stiff, like clay, cracking under the pressure.

"It mocks you, beats you...it knows it has power and it abuses it to make you scream, scream while they laugh at you...they hate you, treat you like dirt and you know, you know the only reason you're still alive is because they have such fun making a fool out of you." His hand rose into the air, pointing and shaking as his words got lower and angrier. "They don't care about you or what you want, what you've tried to do, they don't care how much you try to change because you'll always be the same to them...the poor, old, ugly coward! And then when you get power and try to show them that you can be better they still hate you, call you a murderer, attack your son, and the only reason they do business with you is because they're all terrified you'll kill them if they don't and they're right! Because they've taken so much away from you already, ripped you off for years to the point where you have to starve in order to feed your own son and then they think they have the right to stand there and think they're still better than you."

He tried to hide it, but the fire caught on the unshed tears in his eyes. He was shaking with anger, the thread having turned to dust in his hands that now rested on his knees as fists. He continued to snarl and growl, anything to get this anger out of him without waking up Bae.

"It doesn't matter what you do because you know you'll never be good enough for them, you save their children, all their bloody children but it still doesn't change anything; they still hate you!"

He was starting to lose control and Belle feared what he might do, she quickly placed her hand on his arm and he suddenly stopped shaking. He was frozen for a long moment, just staring at the fire. It was like she had flipped some sort of switch, and then his eyes strayed to her hand.

She couldn't read his face, was he angry? Curious? Happy even?

Then he picked up her hand with two fingers and lifted it off his arm as if it was ugly or dirty, placing it in her lap, he stood up and turned his back to her.

"You will find a bed upstairs with a nightgown for you, be awake and dressed by dawn or there will be consequences."

He didn't bother to check whether she had heard him or not before he walked over to the other bed, tucked in another corner behind where he kept the spinning wheel.

Belle was still for a moment, trying to figure out what had just happened. She felt a little bewildered, after he had been in such a furious state, almost convincing her that he was about to make something explode, he had turned on a dime with one touch. She shook her head, not wanting to let it getting any ideas, so she left the fire and hurried up the ladder.

The second story was more like an attic, a small room with a straw bed, what she assumed was some kind of dresser, and a small window covered in dust just above the bed. Other than that, the hardwood floor and the triangular roof was completely sparse.

Back at home, she had had a room twice the size of this with a quaint four poster bed with cotton sheets and warm blankets, a highly polished vanity with a spotless mirror, a fireplace, a comfy chair to curl up in, and a collection of books on just about everything; but most of all, she had light. This dark, dusty room felt like a death trap, the blanket on the straw pallet was made of sheepskin and the dresser was ugly and covered in holes due to termite damage.

It wasn't that she really cared for material things so much, it was the shock of how much she had truly lost today: her father, her friends, her home; and her freedom. Quickly changing into the chemise on the bed, she climbed into the bed and closed her eyes, trying to will herself to sleep. The straw was scratchy against her soft skin and she was forced to lie on top of the blanket, the wool actually quite soft, in order to get comfortable.

The night was not too friendly and she had to curl up, desperately trying to wrap herself up in the sheepskin to stop from shivering. It took everything she had to keep herself from crying, knowing the both of them would easily be able to hear her, so she let her tears run freely hoping that it would be enough to release the pain.

She was aware that her tears were soaking the thin fabric pillow stuffed with wool, weakening the material making it susceptible to ripping, but she didn't care.

Only the shadows that surrounded her watched as she poured her broken heart out in the form of hot tears running down her face.

... ...

Awaking to the light of dawn, Rumplestiltskin rose from his bed and dressed in a red poet's shirt and a pair of black leather pants. He cast his dark green eyes around the house, relieved to see Bae was still in his bed. From now on he would probably have nightmares of him running away again; he would never be able to forget it for sure. The idea that he had driven his boy away just about killed him.

Also noticing that Belle didn't seem to be awake yet, his temper started to flare. He had warned her about being tardy, unless she had escaped during the night. His eyes narrowed as he ascended the ladder, if she had run off he would hunt her down and tear her apart for betraying him, and then he would burn down her town.

But when he reached her bedchamber in the attic, he froze. For a moment, he was only annoyed to see her still in bed and very much asleep, after all, he _had_ said '_before_ dawn'. He moved towards her, ready to grab her by the arm and pull her out of her bed, when sunlight streaked through the dirty window, catching on something shiny on her face.

It was only then that he stopped to really look at her. Her skin seemed too pale, her lips are a few shades from blue, the sheepskin blanket was tied around her uncomfortably, her pillow had a dark patch where it looked like it might dissolve at any moment. But the fresh tears running down her face, following the path of ones that had gone by hours ago, was what stopped him from immediately shaking her awake.

Pursing his lips, he turned to his side, dragging his eyes away from the crinkled agony on her face. In his rage he had never stopped to think about what she was really giving up in order to come here with him. He had effectively taken everything away from her and then thrown it back in her face, as if she had some sort of dept to pay.

He cleared his throat, bringing her out of a dreamless sleep. She frowned when her eyes first opened, before growing large with surprise and fright. She pulled the blanket up to her neck, hiding her underdressed body from his sight. Her arms wrapped erratically over her chest, the fear all too clear in her eyes.

She stole a glance at the window, realising it was already dawn. Belle's fear grew as her eyes locked with his, fearing what he might do as her punishment. He had warned her, he had made his order clear and she had disobeyed him. Would he burn her again? Or try something different?

His eyes wavered to her chest and her heart beat frantically, a million different horrible possibilities running through her mind.

He curled his lower lip, his frustration clear to any who dared look. Then his eyes softened, his shoulders relaxed and he turned his back to her.

"Time to get up, dearie, lots to be done." He was quiet and uneasily casual, but was quick to climb back down the ladder before she could say a word.

Her head fell back, relief filling her from head to toe. He was such a conflicted man that it terrified her and fascinated her at the same time. More than ever, she was determined to figure him out. Of all the things she could want, she chose to be fascinated with possibly the most dangerous man on the planet. She might be intelligent, but that didn't mean she couldn't be utterly foolish as well.

... ...

Bae woke cheerfully, completely and blissfully ignorant to the events that had gone on last night and early this morning. As he ate his breakfast and went out to find a way to entertain himself for most of the day while Belle did her chores, he had no idea of the tense environment he was leaving unguarded.

Rumplestiltskin sat at his wheel nearly all day, just spinning and spinning and spinning...and watching. She wasn't aware of it, but whenever she wasn't looking, he stole a look in her direction. His dark eyes followed her every move, every sway of her hips as she swept, the way she flexed her arms after spending an hour dusting or polishing part of his collection; he was bemused.

She showed no signs of disgust or judgement towards his home or anything he owned, she didn't complain that this work was below her, not once, and even when he created a patch of dirt on one of the many rugs that carpeted the house, all she gave him was an almost playful scowl.

"Looked like you'd run out of things to do, dearie." He smiled, as if he was helping.

She made an amused humming sound at that and got to work removing the mess from the mat.

He suddenly had a new goal.

For the rest of the day, he did everything he could to piss her off, to get a rise out of her, but she never broke. He made the broom disappear whenever she tried to get near it, when he asked her to make some tea she discovered the teapot floating above her head just out of her reach, at one point when she tried to grab an apple to eat he made the thing fly around the house with her running after it, determined not to be beaten.

Oh how she had surprised him with the things she had done today. The vanishing broom was replaced with a scrubbing brush from the kitchen which she thoroughly washed afterwards; when she couldn't reach the teapot, she used a glass jug instead without a second thought; and then the apple incident, that was the best one of all.

She simply couldn't catch the damn thing and he was having so much fun making it wiz around the room, waiting for a grumble or shout of anger but all he got was laughter; a much more pleasing response actually. Just when it looked like she was about to give up, she snatched up Bae's slingshot and fired a metal baking poker at the apple, the odd weapon slicing right through the middle of the apple and pinning it to the wall.

She had walked over to the pinned fruit with an extra sway in her hips, pulled the poker out of the wall, slid the apple off the end and took a healthy bite out of it while smirking at him with a teasingly raised brow. He had to admit he had _not _been expecting anything like that, and neither had a certain appendage of his that seemed to be just as impressed as he was.

After that, he had settled down, not wanting to embarrass himself like that again, or worse, risk her seeing what her unbreakable grit and undeniable fire did to him. While it was definitely the fault of the apple episode that had put this thing into motion, he couldn't help but admit it had started this morning when he had seen her in that chemise; the thin fabric doing nothing to hide the curves of her hips and breasts.

She was his prisoner, he shouldn't be thinking like that. Wait, as his prisoner was he allowed to think like that? But she wasn't exactly a prisoner...but then what was she? Did it matter?

According to the dark fire that burned inside him, it did not. The power of the Dark One came with more than just magic, apparently it almost had a mind of its own, encouraging and deepening his dark desire.

And as much as he tried to ignore them, visions of her strong arms wrapped around his neck, those curvy hips tight against his while her voice spilled into his ear in the form a pleasurable moan filled his mind. He imagined her breasts pressing against his chest, her seemingly unbreakable nails digging into his back.

If this is how out of control his mind got after only knowing her for three days, he couldn't imagine what he was going to have to deal with for the rest of his life.

... ...

With Bae's fifteenth birthday mere hours away, Rumplestiltskin was quick to tuck his son into bed that night. He made certain he was asleep before he joined Belle next to the fireplace. She was busy packing up the rest of the parchment and quills from Bae's writing lesson.

"Tomorrow is Bae's birthday, so make sure you are up bright and early." He sat down next to her, watching the fire.

"I know, he told me yesterday, do you have a present for him?"

"For the very first time in his life, yes, yes I do."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that I just..."

His chuckle made her stop. "I'm still getting used to this, it's been a whole year now since I first got these powers, I can finally give him what he wants, everything he deserves to have. This is the first time I can actually give him a proper gift."

"What did you used to give him in the past?"

"One time I made a toy dog out of wool, clumped it together and used threaded wool to tie it together. Another time I gave him a silver to go buy treats...took me months to save that up. On his tenth birthday I couldn't afford to give him anything, so I tried to make a birthday cake," he laughed soundlessly, "That didn't turn out well. But it made him smile anyway and that made it all worth it, even if I did burn myself a few times...that smile made it all worth it."

Belle watched him reminisce with a smile, he had such a bond with his son and such a determination to make him happy even at his own expense. He was a wonderful father, truly, even if these powers of his were corrupting him, he still loved his son.

"Those sound like wonderful gifts to me."

He snorted. "Those weren't gifts, they were junk, a poor excuse for a birthday gift."

"Why do you put yourself down like that?"

"What?" He looked at her now, genuinely confused.

"Why do you insult everything you do? You tried your best to provide him with something to mark that day, a gift can be anything from a beautiful necklace to a simple hug; not everything has to be so materialistic."

His eyes looked so sweet, like every word she spoke made him happier. She watched as he swallowed deeply, taking a steadying breath. He was looking at her in the strangest way, and for a moment she thought he was getting closer.

Her lips trembled at the thought of his mouth pressed against hers, like every romance novel she had ever read. Reaching out to each other, his lips massaging and sucking on hers, his tongue slipping inside her mouth and exploring the uncharted space.

Just when she thought he was going to kiss her, he pulled away, standing up and bidding her goodnight, just like the first night she had been here.

She hurried up to her room once dismissed and climbed into her bed completely and utterly baffled. It wasn't like she was trying to get him to kiss her, she certainly didn't have any plans about it. Maybe she had just gotten caught up in the moment, her mind was playing tricks on her, making things up. It wasn't like he was thinking about kissing her too.

... ...

He didn't get a minute of sleep that night, his mind wild with thoughts about Belle and her rosy lips, her sensual curves hiding under that blue dress, the sounds she might make as he pushed it up to bunch around her waist. This was getting out of hand, she would never want him and he shouldn't even be thinking about it. But every second longer he spent in her presence just made him want her more.

Not even a week into their arrangement and he was already becoming obsessed with her, every time she moved, spoke, laughed; this was getting out of control. He tried to chalk it up to simply being around a beautiful woman who wasn't absolutely terrified of him or looked at him with disgust; he was a lonely man, completely understandable.

The real problem was that his loneliness had fallen into a numb stalemate for years and now it was back with a vengeance. He barely recognised the feeling, but he knew what it was; desire.

The day of Bae's fifteenth birthday dawned and he was relieved to be free of the cold night, wrapping around him in his bed, constricting his mind and body until he could hardly breathe.

As instructed, Belle was washed, dressed and standing in the kitchen making a start on breakfast. He noticed that her hair was still damp, soaking the back of her dress unbeknownst to her. Rumplestiltskin thought about the bathroom at the back of the house, when he had added it in, the bathtub had been the first thing he made. No longer would he and Bae have to suffer by boiling water in a pot over and over, filling up a tin drum until it was full, just hoping that it would still be warm enough to have a decent wash in before it got too cold. Now, they turned a lever and hot water came through almost right away, filling up the copper tub in no time.

Surely she must have had something better than their tub back home, but she never complained. She never complained about anything and he found himself wishing she would. He wanted her to bitch and nag and be a pain, because then he could think about trying to hate her instead of thinking about her rubbing up against him like a cat all the time, petting and stroking him the way she stroked the spine of a book.

He went to retrieve his present for Bae, trying to keep his eyes from straying to her damp hair, freshly washed, as it dried in curls over her back and shoulders. He imagined running his fingers through those chestnut locks, tucking them back to expose the shell of her ear which he could then run his tongue over, planting kisses at random all the way down her throat. He would pull her against him, running his hands up and down her back while he ran his teeth along the skin of her neck, drawing out endless sensual sounds from those tender lips of hers.

He felt his leather pants tighten and he realised he was losing it again. Shaking his head, he focused on giving his son the best birthday he could.

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_Yeah, I had to stop it there, but trust me, the next chapter will be worth it ;)  
_


	6. Birthday Wishes Do Come True

_I won't be updating again until after next week, my final exams are next week but after that school is out! Reviews are always great inspiration, so please let me know what you think and I hope to have at least two or three, maybe even four more chapters up before the end of the year.  
_

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Belle groaned in annoyance when the night was coming to an end, she hadn't gotten much sleep at all, she had stayed up trying to finish the present she had been making for Bae. She planned on giving it to him in secret, or at least not in front of his father. She had no idea what Rumplestiltskin had for a present, but considering the conversation they had had last night, she didn't want to appear to be outdoing him. Her gift was hardly up to the standards of magic, but she knew that Bae had more care for sentimental worth than materialistic worth.

Rising just before dawn, she tied her auburn hair back and plaited it over her shoulder, ready for the big day ahead.

Gently rocking the boy, easing him out of sleep, Belle whispered a soft awakening. He opened his big blue eyes and smiled up at her.

"Happy birthday, Bae," She said sweetly.

"Thanks, Belle."

She left him to dress, going back to the cake she was trying to make. She had never made a cake before, having normally just bought one, but she knew how, having watched Granny Lucas make them a few times.

Considering what she had to work with, Belle was quite pleased with the final result. Having asked Rumplestiltskin to buy a few things at the market yesterday; though at the time he had no idea what for; she had managed to make a rather yummy looking sponge cake with cream and jam in the centre. It was the fanciest thing she knew how to make, so she thought it would be appropriate for a birthday.

When she placed the cake on the table in front of Bae, the look on his face filled her heart with so much joy. His jaw practically hit the table and his eyes were the size of saucers.

"Is...is that a real..." He was at a loss for words and Belle smiled.

"A real birthday cake? I think so, wait, there's something missing."

She quickly hurried around the cottage collecting the smallest candles she could find and returning to the table swiftly before Bae had a chance to ask what she was doing. She gently wedged as many of the thin candles into the top of the cake as she could, and then sought something to light them with.

Baelfire observed Belle's strange behaviour, watching her with a perplexing look on his face.

"Bae, what do you use to light all the candles in this house?" She asked when her search proved in vain.

"Magic," he told her, something she should be well aware of that by now.

"Magic indeed"

Belle spun on her toe to see Rumplestiltskin standing a little too close behind her. There was an amused smirk on his face and Belle felt her cheeks warm up. Their eyes were locked, neither of them even blinked, and then he lifted his hand, snapped his fingers and small flames at the top of each of the candles flickered into life.

Bae didn't look very happy about the trick, and that was a factor that did not slip past his father; evidenced by the way his smirk melted into a thin line.

Quick to keep the mood light, Belle hurried back to Bae and sat down on the other side of the table. He forgot about what his father had performed and cast his curious look at her once again.

"So, what's with the candles? Are they what makes it a birthday cake?" He asked.

A brief shadow sucked out the joy in her chest, a moment of grief for this boy who knew so little of such things that he had to ask, but it barely lasted a second before she was smiling gleefully again. "Well, a birthday cake doesn't have to have candles, actually it doesn't even really have to be a cake, you could have a birthday cookie if you wanted."

He laughed a little at that.

"The idea is to place the same number of candles on the cake as the age the birthday person has reached, so there should be fifteen candles on this cake, but all the other candles in this house are too big to put on a cake. As the birthday boy, you're supposed to make a wish and then blow all the candles out with one big breath if you can."

His face lit up. "I get to make a wish?"

"Yes," she said happily. "You make a special birthday wish, but don't tell anyone what the wish is or it won't come true."

Rumplestiltskin watched Belle with a gentle look. The way she spoke to his son, with such care and compassion, she spoke to him like he was family, like they were equals, and he found that little detail particularly endearing.

Baelfire closed his eyes.

The house was held in peaceful silence, still, almost frozen in time it seemed. Then he opened his eyes, sucked in a deep breath and blew out all the candles in one go. Belle laughed at his enthusiasm, remembering when she had been younger and making a wish over a birthday cake seemed like magic.

She stood up and stepped over to the cupboards to retrieve a knife and a plate. She cut out a big piece of cake, placed it on the plate and set it down in front of Bae.

The boy wasted no time in trying the cake, and after the first bite the whole slice was gone in mere seconds. "It's amazing! Papa, you must try some"

His father chuckled. "It's your cake, Bae, enjoy it"

Belle was a little confused. "Birthday cakes are meant to be shared"

He sent a dark look her way and she bowed her head a little, she wasn't sure what she had done wrong, but she knew better than to question his decision or to try and push the matter; she didn't really fancy getting burnt again.

The ambiance of the room suddenly became cold and dangerous, Bae wanted to say something to end it, to stop his papa from scaring Belle like this, but then he thought that the best thing he could do was get out for a while. He knew Belle well enough to know that she was a strong woman, independent, and she wouldn't put up with this treatment forever. He had witnessed such an event while he was living with her in her town, he almost felt sorry for the man who had tried to scare her into marrying him, he had failed miserably and paid for it.

As far as they were concerned, he was still a child here, there were matters that would not be discussed so long as he was in the room, and there was nothing he could do to change the situation; at least not yet anyway.

"Papa, is it alright if I see Moraine today?"

An eye brow raised in his direction, but the hint of amusement in the Dark One's eyes put the boy at ease. "You saw her yesterday, and the day before that, it's your birthday today, Bae"

"Exactly, a day where you get to spend time with the people who care about you the most"

Belle noticed a dark shadow spiral around the green of his eyes, but he buried it behind a smile. "Go on then, but be back before nightfall"

Baelfire cut another piece of the cake and wrapped it up in a cloth, and then he dashed over to his bed, pulled something out from underneath his pillow and almost skipped out the door.

When the door fell shut, Belle was a little bit startled by the laugh that came from the man standing behind her. She turned around to face him, wondering what had inspired such a thing, and saw his eyes were set on the door.

"He still worries that I do not approve of his relationship with Moraine, but the truth is there could be no one else I would rather he be with. Out of all the children, all of the adults in the village, she doesn't judge him because of me, even before I became the Dark One"

He seemed to be almost talking to himself and she wondered if she should get started on her chores when his eyes were suddenly on her, a glimmer of amusement in them.

"What?" She asked pointedly.

His lips split into a slight chuckle, but it wasn't a sardonic kind full of mocking jest, not one of those, it was genuine. "You appear to have had a little bit of trouble with the flour pot this morning"

Her brows furrowed in confusion before his words began to make sense of the message. Gently wiping her fingers down the side of her face, she pulled them back to reveal a layer of flour coating her fingertips. She made an exasperated sound and was about to go find a rag to wipe her face clean when Rumplestiltskin was suddenly holding her chin between his forefinger and thumb.

She allowed him to turn her head so that she was facing him properly, she heard him snap his fingers on his other hand, and she felt a strange fuzziness. He released her chin and smiled.

"There, much better"

She noticed a strange look on his face, something of confliction. But before she got the chance to ask him about it he walked past her and sat down at his spinning wheel as if that peculiar moment had never taken place.

Her cheeks were still burning a little and she hurried on to get her chores done before he noticed.

Things did not quite go as planned in that area, though, the flaming pink of her cheeks compelling him to have a little more fun today.

Belle was at first a little surprised when the broom lifted off from against the wall and started a little dance, but one look at the poorly concealed grin on Rumple's face and she picked up the edge of her dress and began to dance along with it.

Amused by her impulsive nature, Rum went on to give the broom arms and proper legs so that the dance might become more frivolous, the broom picking Belle up by the waist and spinning her through the air. Her golden laughter was all the music they needed.

Belle knew she had chores to do and that Rumple was very much keeping her from the duties he had assigned to her, but as she was spun, twirled and bowed back so that all that kept her from the floor was the broom, she found she couldn't care in the least. As the dance got a little more airborne, Belle closed her eyes, focusing all her other senses on the sensation of the air as she flew through it, the weightlessness that enveloped her entire body. It felt like she was flying, spinning around and around until she got a little too dizzy.

A second of imbalance landed her back on her feet with two arms holding her up. Amidst the embarrassed laughter, she opened her eyes to help her brain regain balance...and found two deep brown eyes looking back. At some point, the broom had been discarded to the side of the room and Rumplestiltskin had taken its place.

The dance had stopped as soon as she opened her eyes and the two of them found themselves frozen to the spot, their arms wrapped around one another and their faces closer than they had ever been. Rumplestiltskin failed to keep his eyes from dropping to stare at her chest, watching her breasts rise and fall with each heaving breath. His hands were placed on her waist in a not so modest fashion, their bodies pressed together, making the both of them very uneasy; and very aroused.

It seemed like hours had passed since they had become trapped in this not-so-uncomfortable position, and it looked like nothing was going to conveniently occur to end the moment, so Belle struggled to find her voice to break the silence.

"I didn't know you could dance." She breathed with a nervous chuckle.

"Neither did I, never tried"

His voice was low, a kind of primal growl he tried to suppress. The look in his eyes made her shiver slightly, a sort of excitement building inside her. He started to lean in very slowly and she parted her lips without thinking. Only air was left between them now and even that was quickly disappearing from between their lips.

... ...

"Moraine! Moraine, over here!"

Bae was waiting for her by the large oak tree where they liked to meet, no one bothered them here and they could talk freely with each other. She was wearing a different dress today, no doubt a birthday present from her parents. It was a pale green, soft and gentle and almost singing of spring. Her hair was tied back in a long braid with a few stray locks framing her face; a handful of colourful flowers weaved into her hair only adding to her stunning appearance. Blushing wildly, Bae rather thought she looked like a fairy or a forest nymph.

"Wow, you really wanted to look your best today, what's the occasion?" He asked nervously, the butterflies in his stomach making it hard for him to say anything other than a nervous greeting.

"It's your birthday today, Baelfire, what other reason could there be?" She was so confident with her words, no trace of the same awkward feeling in her that he felt. For a brief moment it made him wonder if it was because she didn't feel the same way he did, but she admonished that thought with a kiss on his cheek.

The golden smile on her face when she looked at his stunned expression, eyes wide and his face practically beaming with happiness, only made him smile more.

"Happy birthday, Baelfire"

"You first"

She was a little shocked and confused by that comment and she was about to ask what he meant when he gently took her hand in his and raised it to his lips, making her heart flutter wildly in her chest. His words still didn't really make much sense until he carefully pulled her hand closer to him and pulled something out of his pocket.

Her hazel eyes expanded and her lips parted to release a surprised gasp of awe. She had thought it was the bracelet she gave him before he left, but one look closer and she knew it was definitely not the one she made. It was a tight braid of wool, unspun and wild, cleaned until it glowed brilliantly in the sun in the purest white she had ever seen. There were tiny wooden charms dangling around the bracelet and a few threads of pure gold ran through the soft wool.

It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life and when he placed it around her wrist and tied the knot she felt confident in saying her heart had never beat faster.

"Bae...how...how long did it take you to make that? It's amazing"

She held her wrist up to her face the moment he released her hand, examining the object closely. There were seven charms on the bracelet, roughly carved and some almost indistinguishable, square blocks with lines and circles, but if she had to take a guess she would say they were meant to be symbols. She had seen some of them before but she had no idea what they meant.

"What are they?"

"Letters, Moraine, they spell your name"

His confession stole her breath. "You can read and write? You can read and write my name?" Nothing could hide the cherry red from her cheeks.

"It was one of the first words I leant; I hope I spelled it right." He said.

"I don't know how to spell my name, but if you think that's what it would look like..."

She fell to distraction as she twisted her wrist back and forth, trying to memorise the symbols so that she would never forget them. Suddenly she dropped her arm to her side and looked up at Baelfire.

"How do you spell your name?"

A big Cheshire Cat grin grew on his face and he took her hand, leading her over to a patch of loose dirt and picking up a stick. Carefully, he traced out each letter just like Belle had taught him. When he was done he handed the stick to Moraine.

"Try it"

She had watched in wonder as he wrote his name in the dirt, but when he held out the stick to her she felt frightened. What if she made a mess of it? What if she made herself look like a fool? He seemed to pick up on her fears and took her hand. Passing the stick into her grasp, he stood close to her side and moved his hand down to wrap around hers. Slowly, he directed her hand around, showing her how to write the letters of her name.

Looking down at it, Moraine smiled gleefully, it wasn't as neat as Baelfire's was, but the symbols were recognisable to her bracelet. She became aware of how close Bae was, standing behind her with his chest brushing her shoulder. Her face burned with colour, but she could find no fault in what they were doing. Turning around slowly, she looked up into his warm blue eyes and cleared her mind of any doubts.

Baelfire didn't know what to do, she was looking up at him with awe in her hazel eyes and it was making him both thrilled and anxious. Before he could speak another word, her eyes had fluttered closed and she was leaning up, pressing her soft lips against his ardently. Baelfire had never been kissed by a girl in his entire life and the feeling of Moraine's tender lips on his was almost overwhelming. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the warmth of her lips and breath when her mouth parted the tiniest bit.

... ...

Belle's racing heart had been for nought when he came to his senses and released her from his tight hold, making her groan in protest at the loss of contact; a sound he chose to ignore.

Belle was left standing alone in the middle of the cottage, unsure what had just transpired and a little too stunned to move on as quickly as he did. He had started the game with the dancing broom, but then he had taken its place, holding her close and spinning her around. She thought she could pinpoint the moment the broom became Rumplestiltskin, and if she was right then they had danced together nearly the whole time. Why had he walked away?

The reason was simple, Rumplestiltskin was once again in a cowardly dilemma.

He had merely wished to make her laugh when he cast the spell on the broom, but when she had decided to dance along with it he had become dumbfounded at the grace and elegance she portrayed. Not long into the dance he couldn't help himself a moment longer and he replaced himself as Belle's dancing partner. Her eyes were closed, she didn't know; she had no idea how close they had gotten between every dip and twirl.

The sweet smell of her hair was etched into his memory, the way her skin burned when he was holding her, almost humming to him, and that dusty rose scent that was Belle's natural aroma was so enticing. If she hadn't opened her eyes when she did he had to admit he may not have been able to stop himself from kissing her. With their bodies pressed together like that it was a wonder he hadn't kissed her a dozen times in the last ten minutes.

He needed to remove himself from her presence before he did something stupid. Who was he trying to fool? If she hadn't been so caught up in the dance and the fun she would have pushed him away. After what he had been through with Milah, his wife, he didn't want to go through anything like that ever again. Milah had never loved him, it was painfully clear how she felt about him and she had made it obvious to everyone around them every single day of their marriage.

He knew enough to know that no woman as beautiful and intelligent as Belle could ever want him, even if he wasn't the Dark One.

Sitting down at his spinning wheel, he blocked out the noise of Belle completing her daily chores that he had been keeping her from. He didn't even want to know what thoughts were going through her head, no doubt they were about him and they were far from flattering.

* * *

_Not sure whether that chapter worked out the way I originally wanted it to, but there you go...next chapter we shall have a little visit from Red in a very uncooperative mood  
_


	7. Fatal Hesitation

_**I realise there is no excuse for making you guys wait so long for this chapter, in truth I had forgotten about this story, wrapped up in a dozen other stories I hope to upload. I can't make any promises unfortunately, but I hope the next chapter won't be too far away.**_

* * *

Night was fast approaching and Bae was still yet to come home. Belle sat by the fire, watching as Rumplestiltskin paced back and forth, growing ever more anxious by the minute.

"I'm sure he is just fine, he probably just lost track of time. Don't you remember what it was like to a young and in love? Didn't that ever happen to you?" She tried to reassure him but he didn't even seem to hear her.

"He has never been out this long before, it isn't like him, something must be wrong"

She could see Bae's continued absence was upsetting him and at the risk of him storming out and putting who knows who in danger's way, Belle took it upon herself to do the only thing she could.

"I'll go look for him, alright? Just promise me you'll try to calm down." She walked out the door before he could respond, hoping that in his distracted state of mind he might miss the fact that she had left the house alone and without his permission. Hopefully the return of his son might play in her favour and avoid punishment.

It was only when she had made it to the edge of the village that she realised there was a terrible flaw to her plan: she had never left the house before and she had no idea where she was going or where to start looking. Baelfire could be anywhere and she could spend hours wandering around through the woods looking for him.

How on earth was she going to find him?

... ...

The fire had died hours ago and Jiminy wasn't very good at starting a new one. Red was still refusing to go home or to put on her damn cloak. Jiminy wasn't sure why her grandmother had insisted on her wearing it, it wasn't like the cold was bothering her, but the force and will she had used on him scared him half to death. If he couldn't get Red to come home than he would damn well figure out how to get her to wear the cloak; whatever the reason for it was. But as Red was quickly growing more vicious every passing second, his mission was looking ever more pointless.

She didn't want to eat, she didn't want to sleep, she wouldn't even stand still long enough for him to present the very idea to her.

"We are going in circles!" He exclaimed, wrapped up in the red cloak, fighting against the cold that she didn't seem to notice.

"We are NOT! I know exactly where we are going and where we already are!" Red insisted, "So stop telling me what to do!"

"I will stop once you slow down and take care of yourself, you haven't eaten a thing in three days"

"I'm fine, I promise"

"For the sake of the gods, Red, it'll be dark soon and we need to set up camp"

"I don't need to sleep, if you want to make yourself a bed and go to sleep then knock yourself out, I'm going to keep moving"

"You mean curl up here to die?" The woman he had loved for so long had never been so cruel-hearted and he was severely concerned for the state of her mental health. Death could be cruel to the survivors, but she was going too far. Red was walking to her own death.

"I didn't ask for you to come with me, did I? If you don't like how I'm doing things here then go back to town!"

"Why are you so determined to join Peter?" As soon as the words had left his mouth he wished he had just shut up.

Red's eyes locked on him and she looked at him so darkly he feared she could choke him to death with that look alone. The very air between them stood still as he waited to see what she would do. His heart pounded in fear, never before having seen this side of her that was so wild and feral.

Suddenly she turned around and disappeared into the shadows, and as the sun finally set Jiminy could swear he heard a rattling growl.

... ...

Belle had been walking around for close to an hour when she had finally found some sign of Bae and Moraine, specifically their names written in the dirt. It had rained in the past few days and the ground was soft enough to show footprints leading away. Belle wasn't much of a tracker, but at least the direction they were going in was a start.

The path was littered with leaves and this task was becoming more frustrating with every single step, but at last she heard a familiar voice and she raced towards it.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Bae and who she could only assume was Moraine sitting together beneath a dying tree. The ground was thick with dirt and the flora around them was almost the same shade as the tree, but although the setting looked like a graveyard, neither of the two teens seemed to care.

They were cuddled up together, looking at something on Moraine's wrist and laughing, completely oblivious to the darkness of night that surrounded them.

"Baelfire," She called to him.

The young boy looked up instantly, a rosy shade dying his cheeks and Belle couldn't help but smile. He brushed his mop of dark hair out of his eyes and stood up, taking Moraine's hand and helping her up too. Coming out from the shade of the tree, Belle was able to get a glimpse of Moraine for the first time, and she could see why Bae was so smitten.

Moraine was a delicate-looking girl, but Belle could see she had more strength than most would realise. Her hair was light brown and it looked tired, but her eyes were so bright and full of life it was hard to notice.

"Belle, what are you doing here?" Baelfire asked, coming to stand in front of her.

"It's almost night; your father is worried sick about you"

The two children shared a look of worry before Bae looked back to Belle. "Moraine won't get in trouble, will she?"

"I doubt Rumplestiltskin will very much care once he sees you are safe and sound, but if he does get angry, I'll take care of it"

"Thank you, Belle." He smiled wildly, before blushing once again. "Uh, this is Moraine, my closest friend, and Moraine this is Belle, our housekeeper"

Moraine went on to tell Belle of the things Bae had told her, how she had helped him when he was hurt, how she was teaching him to read and write. The three of them were half way back to the village, Belle making a note to herself to talk to Bae about going so far again, when a twig snapped very close by.

Belle took both their hands and held them tightly, that sound had been took close and too loud for a simple woodland creature. "We need to move faster, don't run, walk, but be cautious"

Baelfire and Moraine were immediately on the alert, looking for whatever danger Belle seemed to be onto. A little further into the forest and they all heard the sound of heavy footsteps following them.

Belle was torn between running and reaching the village sooner, but also provoking whatever was following them into giving chase, and keeping at their current pace so as not to incite an attack but allowing the creature more time to figure out the best way to attack them anyway. She decided the first was better, because either way they were going to be attacked, but at least they might make it to safety before any of them got hurt.

"Baelfire, Moraine, I want you to listen to me-"

Belle was cut off by a low guttural sound, a deep growl of hunger and a set of large yellow eyes staring out at them as the creature took a step out from behind them. Belle slowly looked over her shoulder and shuddered. She had seen wolves before, but never one like that. Burning eyes cut by silver light, fangs sharper than blades of war, long muscular legs and paws the size of a baby's head covered in short dark fur.

"My god...Bae, I want you to get Moraine to the cottage and stay there"

The boy's eyes were popping out of his head. "What about you?"

"I'll distract it"

"No Belle, that thing will kill you, we can't leave you alone against that monster!" He hissed.

She knew the boy's words were nothing but the truth, she had no powers, no skill in hunting or fighting, she wouldn't last ten seconds against that wolf, but she had to make sure Bae and Moraine got away.

"Don't worry about me Bae, I know a few things about wrestling with dogs, I'll be fine, just get the both of you home. Don't turn back, don't leave the house once you're inside and whatever you do, do not try to be a hero"

"But Belle-"

The rise in his voice made the beast's ear twitch and Belle decided it was now or never. "Run! Go now!"

The beauty charged right at the wolf, running in the opposite direction to the cottage and hoping to keep the monster's attention long enough for Bae and Moraine to get away.

The wolf wasn't sure how to react when Belle almost ran right into it, it leapt back and took chase when she sped past. Going off the path, she tried to lose the wolf under the cover of the woods; possibly her stupidest decision ever, she realised only too late. Thinking quickly, she looked around for anything she could use as a weapon. Thanking whatever kind fairy was watching over her when she found the perfect branch, a little heavy and a strain on her arms but would pack a fierce blow if she could lift it above her head.

The wolf didn't waste time in trapping her back against a tree, appearing seemingly out of nowhere and crouching down, preparing to attack. Belle lifted the branch as high into the air as she could and used its own weight to swing it at the wolf, bashing it over the head. The branch snapped in half but the wolf only yelped and shook the pain from its head. The hit she had just delivered should have thrown the animal at least a few feet away, but the thing was still standing.

Taking the opportunity while the wolf was distracted, she took off down the road. With her feet moving as fast as she could make them go, she tried to ignore the way her heart pounded against her chest, or the way her tears of fear blurred her vision at the worst possible time.

With fear throbbing in her head, she didn't see the ridge of rocks ahead of her. She forced herself not to cry out in surprise as she hit the ground, cursing the very land she walked on for working against her when she needed help the most. A quick check of her body left her sighing with relief that she wasn't injured, but she didn't get the chance to continue her escape.

Two wide set paws landed on either side of her head, the head of a dragon glaring down at her through canine eyes. Ears laid back, tail wagging with excitement, the wolf growled deeply, its hot breath on her face making her shudder.

With a heavy heart she realised this was that moment, that last few seconds before the wolf ripped her neck open and her life would fade away. She tried to fight it, attempting to kick the wolf off her and desperately trying to hold its opened jaws away from her face, but her strength was little match to this unnatural creature.

The wolf's canines were only a whisper away from her skin when the whole dark form let out a surprised yelp and flew to the left. The monster crashed into a tree and slopped to the ground, unmoving excepting the slight rise and fall of its side. The brute was out cold.

Belle looked around in amazement for her rescuer and had never been happier to see Rumplestiltskin.

"Belle, are you alright?" He was by her side in a second, taking her hand in his and helping her to her feet.

Despite the horrible timing, Belle noticed how soft his skin seemed to be in contrast with the rough calloused exterior of his hands. She held his hand for a second longer than she should have, a motion that did not go unnoticed by her companion.

Before his mind could run wild with possible explanations, Rumplestiltskin wrapped an arm around her waist and summoned a cloud of crimson smoke. With no scent or track left behind, they were home free.

They vanished from the woods just as the wolf was coming to. Seeing nothing of its prey or attackers, it shoved its nose into the dirt and sought out their scent; it found one too, the trail left by Baelfire and Moraine.

... ...

Bae was on his feet the moment he saw the smoke, the familiar swirl of magic thick and dark as it entered his once peaceful home. He and Moraine had been curled up by the fire silent with fear and anticipation, waiting for the return of his father.

As soon as he and Moraine had come through the door, Rumplestiltskin had been on his feet, demanding answers from his son. Thankfully it only took a moment for Bae to tell his father what he really needed to know, and then he was gone in a puff of smoke.

Suddenly there was a whirl of coloured smoke growing in the centre of the room and both teenagers jumped up. Belle was a little disoriented from the trip, a little woozier than the first time she had travelled this way. Bae was there in time to keep her from tripping over her own feet when his papa released her waist quite suddenly.

"Belle, are you ok? What happened? Are you hurt?"

Belle smiled at the boy's bombardment of questions, so desperate to hear that she was alright.

"I'm fine, Bae, a little dirt on my dress and that's all"

"Only just," Rumplestiltskin mumbled. "A second more and you would have been dead"

"But you weren't late and I'm not dead, so stop thinking about it." She quickly scolded. She didn't want him getting upset over 'what if's; they didn't have time for that.

That massive creature was still out there and it was very close to the town, and judging by the strength she had already beared witness to, that wolf could take down a dozen men at once she'd wager.

As if her fears had been heard, the echo of the monster's howl reached their ears all at once; the wolf was nearly here.

All four of them were in the open doorway of the cottage, searching for the wolf eclipsed in darkness. Belle was set to usher the children back inside immediately, but if she stayed with them to make sure they were safe, she would be leaving Rumplestiltskin to face the wolf alone. He was the only one who could fight that animal, he had all the power in the world, but that didn't put her at ease.

Before she had a chance to air her thoughts, the beast came into sight. Eyes like sunlit diamonds glowing in the night, the way the moonlight played along the fur on its back. It was too late to keep the wolf out of the town because it was already well inside.

Rumplestiltskin watched in static interest, seeing an opportunity to try out a few of his powers he was yet to use.

Leaving the others inside the house, he stepped out to confront the wolf. It was clear to anyone that this was no ordinary animal, and he wanted to experiment just a little to find out where its limits resided.

The wolf immediately locked its eyes on him and began to pace in a wide circle around him, eyeing him up and down to determine the challenge he posed. Belle, Bae and Moraine were silent and still, afraid that any movement, no matter how subtle, might put Rum in danger.

The beast snarled as it tore through the air, jaws open wide to show its array of pointed teeth, the way they curled towards the back of the mouth ever so slightly so that when they drove into flesh it would catch and the prey wouldn't be able to escape.

At the last moment, Rumple threw his hands up defensively, causing the wolf to crash into an invisible wall. Anger grew in the wolf, and after failing to bust through the obstacle with its body, it stood up on its hind legs and clawed furiously at the barrier. They could all see it, the way those silver claws sliced through the sheet of magic only for it to instantly replenish. Ungodly snarls and roars escaped the beast as it attacked the wall over and over again.

He thought he had the wolf under control, but the moment he began to feel that ease of power, the wolf broke through.

"No! Papa!" Bae screamed from behind Belle, the only one who was strong enough to fight the boy and keep him inside.

Rumplestiltskin had landed on his back, rather dazed and shocked at the sudden blow. He looked up to see the wolf almost grinning at him, running a blood-stained tongue over its glistening teeth in anticipation for its next meal.

The Dark One leapt to his feet and tossed a fireball at the wolf. Quick on its feet, the creature dodged it with unnatural speed and lunged for his throat. Ignoring the call of his magic for that moment, he curled his hand into a fist and socked the wolf in the jaw. The unexpected blow knocked the wolf off balance, causing it to topple onto its side.

Rumplestiltskin had always liked dogs and by extension wolves, as horrible and monstrous as this wolf was, there was a little of his humanity inside that begged him not to kill it. But what else was there to do? Well, the wolf decided for him.

Faking defeat, the wolf backed away with its tail between its legs, ears flattened down to show submission. When it had gotten far enough it took a running start, kicking off the ground and going for the hand that had punched it. Fortunately he was quicker than that, turning side on so the wolf went right past him while swinging his other arm around to grab the scruff of its neck.

With the strength of the Dark One, he held the massive beast in the air, the wolf displaying its rage at being humiliated like this, held up like a pup. It kicked and clawed and snapped its jaws, but not matter how much it turned and twisted, it just could not reach its captor.

But Rum's victory was short lived, the wolf having twisted and wriggled so much he lost his grip on the sweat-drenched fur and the wolf slipped from his grasp. The moment its paws touched the ground, it whirled around and leapt one last time at Rumple, too quick for him to react in time.

With its teeth so close to his delicate human flesh, the wolf felt a harsh blow to the ribs. When it hit the ground again, the wolf was so furious it could rip a dragon's head clean off. Belle had run over at just the right moment, colliding with the wolf and knocking it away from Rumplestiltskin.

Realising that brute strength wasn't going to be enough in this case, the developed mind of the wolf thought up another plan. Within seconds, its powerful jaw had locked around the end of a branch and it swung it at Belle the same way she had done earlier.

It all happened so fast, one moment Belle was standing in front of him, checking him over for injuries and the next she was flying through the air. He had never seen anyone thrown so high and his heart was still for every second she was in the air.

He raised a hand to stop her fall, but for some reason he couldn't focus and she landed on a pile of crates stacked outside a neighbour's house. The sound of her scream as the sharp and splintered wood cut into her snowy skin was horrific. A desperate gasp of breath, wheezing as blood began to fill her lungs almost had him on his knees.

He ran towards her without a second thought, but someone wasn't happy with that idea. The sharp snarling of the wolf cut off his path to Belle, and as he looked down into the midnight black eyes of the wolf he felt a great fire burning his insides, the desire to rip the wolf's head right off overwhelming.

With a snarling growl of his own, Rumplestiltskin leapt at the wolf, curling his hands into claws and locking them around the animal's neck. The wolf hit the ground with a rough bark that quickly became a wheezing whine. With onyx claws making the wolf bleed, Rumplestiltskin could see nothing but the beast's death.

This stupid mutt had tossed his beautiful Belle aside like a piece of trash, Belle might be dead over there and this shit of a hound was to blame. He wanted to choke the life out of the wolf, and it had almost fallen unconscious when a scream pierced his ears.

Looking up, he searched for Belle or one of the kids who might have spoken, but instead he found a tall, skinny, red-headed man running towards them; a heavy blood-red cloak in his arms.

"What the hell do you want!" Rumplestiltskin snapped, his hands still tight around the wolf's neck.

"Please don't hurt her! She isn't really a wolf, she's a human! I swear it!" The man stopped just short of the Dark One, the shining of his eyes pleading for his mercy.

"Give me a better reason than that!"

The man looked terrified, unsure of what to do. "I can stop her from turning, she doesn't know what she's doing, if you let her live I'll make sure this never happens again...please don't kill her." He just hoped that his theory about the cloak was correct; why else would Granny be adamant Red wear it?

The dark fire in his eyes dimmed ever so slightly when he saw that look in the man's eyes. He knew that look, he had seen it himself. Slowly his grip softened until the wolf was a whimpering pup in the dirt. He gave a quick glare of warning to the man before he left the wolf.

He moved as fast as his feet would let him but it seemed to take an eternity to reach his Belle, lying face-up in a pile of wood chips and crushed produce.

Her skin was sticky with fruit juice, the lowest form of 'freshness' one could get, the apples already turning brown while the flimsy wood soaked up the dark blood like a cactus in a rain storm. Belle was motionless as she lay there, eyes closed, blood soaking her dress, all manner of cuts and gaping wounds in her creamy skin, her life essence draining away into the mud.


	8. Fear of Night

_**So my time is being divided by all these other stories I want to write, I have one I think I want to upload, is anyone interested in reading a preview?  
**_

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Rumplestiltskin didn't know what to do at first, just seeing her like that, lying broken and deathly pale on the ground, was almost too much. But he had to know if there was a chance. Placing two fingers against her lips, he focused on whatever sensation he could feel, no matter how seemingly minor.

His heart leapt into the air when he felt a breath pass between her lips, she was still alive!

"Belle? Stay with me, dearie...stay with me"

"Rum...?" Her voice was so quiet he could barely make out her words. But she opened her eyes for him, despite how weak she was.

Her once sensuous blues had befallen a chilling grey and it just about crushed his heart. He gently tucked a hand underneath her head and caressed her cheek with his thumb.

"Stay with me, Belle, fight"

"I...don't think I...can..." She was fighting against the dark swathe of unconsciousness, her battle displayed in the way her eye lids flickered rapidly, pupils unfocused, trying so hard to remain awake.

He tried to think of what to do, he had never healed anything more than a scratch on the knee before and she was quickly slipping through his fingers. He needed to act fast, but he was being held back by his doubt of his powers. Healing was a good thing, could evil magic do that to this extent? There was no time to find out.

"Belle, I'm going to fix this, you're going to be ok, just stay awake"

"Doesn't hurt...can't feel anything..." Her eyes slipped closed and he was out of time.

Drawing on all the magic he could find within himself, Rumplestiltskin bought a little extra time, waving his hands over her form and commanding her spilt blood to return to her body. She wheezed painfully as the liquid life was sucked back into her veins, giving her just a few seconds more for him to do this right. With another wave of his hand, all the wood and fruit vanished, leaving Belle's wounds open to bleed again. She screamed in agony, tears streaking down her face as she screamed at him to let her go, that the pain was too much.

Placing one hand on her temple and the other over the yawning gash in her stomach, he filled his heart with his love for Bae to summon the good side of his magic. Purple mist burst from his hands, spreading to cover her entire body in a deep lavender glow. Her cries began to hush to gasping sobs, and her skin stitched back together.

With the last of his strength, he left her as healthy as the day she had first come to live in his house, not a single scar or burn she might have received during her time in his employ remained. He felt weak from the extensive use of magic, never having used so much at one time before. He kept forgetting how new he still was to this, how little control he really had over his powers and how inexperienced he was when using them to fight.

He was stupid for toying with that wolf, foolish for believing he had it under control, but mostly he was a cowardly idiot for hesitating when he could've saved Belle.

With a deep breath drawn into her lungs, Belle's eyes shot open. Looking around her in an almost panicked fashion, Rumplestiltskin took her hand and squeezed it. Her eyes landed on him and he almost wept with relief at the return of her summer sky blue.

But she wasn't quite the same as before, her eyes flashed with confusion for a moment, as if she had no idea who he was. He had once been told that all magic came with a price and he prayed this was not it.

"Rumple? What?" The utterance of his name put his mind at ease for a moment.

Belle let go of his hand and tried to sit up off the ground, but even that was too much suddenly and she fell back into the dirt.

"Easy Belle, just take it easy, you almost died"

He tucked his arms beneath her and lifted her up as light as a feather, holding her protectively as he stood up and turned to check on the wolf.

Jiminy wasn't sure what he had been expecting when he had thrown the cloak over Red, but when she emerged human and fully clothed, he was sure his jaw hit the floor. The cloak hung off her shoulders, somehow having wormed its way over her arms as she stood up.

He wasn't sure what to say, he had never been in this kind of situation before, but when Red began to tip and trip over her own feet, he decided words could wait. But although he put an arm around her waist to help her balance, she arrogantly shoved him away.

"Jiminy? What are you doing? What's going on?" Her eyes were clouded with fatigue, as if she had just awoken from a dream. She idly scratched her head, her hand slipping down to rest at her neck while she fell asleep on her feet.

"Red, there is a lot we need to talk about, but this isn't the time." She looked as though she had consumed a whole keg of cheap ale, and he would be damned if he was going to let her stubborn attitude get in his way again.

To the very irritated and loud protest of the dark-haired beauty, Jiminy scooped her up into his arms. She tried to put up a fight, but she was as weak as a rabbit now, not to mention she was constantly distracted by the pain in her jaw.

Jiminy watched who he could only assume was the Dark One carrying Belle towards a cottage, two young teens were standing at the door like dogs on a chain, desperate to run forward and meet up with him, but afraid to leave the house.

"Dark One?" He called suddenly, wishing he had the sense to remain silent.

The glimmering creature with golden skin paused, his only indication that he was listening.

"We need shelter for the night, we're friends of Belle, Red came looking for her before she...I can control her, mostly, I know I have no right to ask anything of you, after all you spared Red's life and saved Belle...but if there is any chance of mercy would you permit us to rest in your house for one night?"

The Dark One was suddenly in his face, rich dark eyes glaring at him. "I ought to tear out your gizzard and strangle you with it!"

Jiminy was still, never having been so afraid in his life as he stared into the dark pits of hell that promised him a slow death. He might have actually gone through with his threat if Belle hadn't reached out and taken Red's hand in hers.

"Stop it..." her voice nothing more than a whisper, although it didn't carry pain anymore. "Stop fighting...Red...Red, wake up"

Red's eyes opened lazily at the sound of her name, but when she saw Belle not three inches away, her face alit with a brilliant smile. "Belle! You're ok! You're alive!"

Rumplestiltskin didn't have the energy for this anymore and stormed off to the cottage, stopping only long enough to snap over his shoulder. "Bring her in for now"

Jiminy wasted no time in obeying his instruction.

Rumple carried Belle inside and placed her on his bed, nudging it closer to the fireplace and snapping the embers into life. He stood in the corner by his bed, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He wanted a few minutes to think, to wrap his head around everything that had transpired in the last thirty minutes.

Belle's friends had come looking for her, one of them was a werewolf who had almost killed her, and now everyone was staying in his house. He focused on the details of this in a failed attempt to keep his mind from what it really wanted to think about.

_He_ had nearly killed Belle, he was the one who had toyed with the animal instead of killing it or immobilising it on the spot. He could have stopped her from landing on those boxes, but a moment of self doubt on his part had almost cost Belle her life. He had killed plenty of people, feeling no guilt for his actions at all, but when it came to her life...it was something different, she was something different.

Belle was stretched out on the bed, watching as Jiminy came in and placed Red down on the carpet beside her.

"Red, Jiminy, what are you guys doing here?" Belle asked with a smile, so happy to see her best friend again.

Rumplestiltskin toned into that, he wanted to know why they were here too. Had they come looking to steal Belle away and take her back home? Had they come to poison her mind and turn her against him? Of course they wanted her back, who wouldn't want Belle in their lives? Well if that was the case they had wasted their time, no one was taking Belle away from him.

Red decided she didn't much like the floor and she climbed up on the bed next to Belle. Rum was about ready to toss her into the wall for merrily getting so close to Belle after what she had nearly done to her. But he was the one who was responsible for that, this 'Red' probably didn't have a clue what she was doing. But she was still too close to Belle; she didn't deserve to be that close to her.

While the Dark One followed his thoughts in circles, Baelfire took it upon himself to play host, offering Jiminy a seat at the table. Moraine was silent as she sat down at the table too upon Bae's request, even if she could remember how to use her voice she wasn't sure she knew what to even begin talking about.

Bae made himself busy offering drinks and food to the guests at the table, trying to calm Moraine and make Jiminy feel at least a little welcome. He was Belle's friend which meant he had to be a good person, and that was good enough for him.

Red was sitting on the bed, her back to the board, while Belle's head sat in her lap. She was playing with her long hair like they had used to do when they were kids. They were chatting away happily, making each other laugh every once in a while.

Jiminy was glad to see Red so happy again, after Peter's death he wondered if she would ever so much as smile again. Both of them were happy, but neither of them really knew what had just happened. Red had no idea what she had just done and he knew it would fall on his shoulders to tell her. Belle, he suspected, was so thrilled to see her best friend again that she was ignoring everything she had just been through. People didn't normally get that close to death and walk away without any psychological consequences.

It was the sinister look on the Dark One's face that made him jump into action, he was sure that guy was planning all sorts of ways of killing Red. Briefly thanking the boy for his hospitality, Jiminy left his seat and approached the girls.

"Red, there is something we need to talk about, now if we could?"

She looked puzzled for a moment, and then shrugged. "Ok, be there in a minute," she waited until he was out of earshot before she looked at Belle.

"What do you think that's about?"

"Oh, I have been kind of a devil woman this entire trip, I should probably go and apologise or something"

Carefully removing Belle's head from her lap, Red jumped off the bed and skipped off after Jiminy.

Rumplestiltskin sat down on the corner, not wishing to take up any space Belle should need. "Are going to leave with them?"

"Sorry?"

"Are you going to leave with them? They have obviously come to take you home"

"What makes you so sure?"

"Why else would they come?"

"Because they miss me"

That remark shut him up for a moment, trying to remember what it felt like to be missed by someone.

"You know they will try to turn you against me, tell you my stories, of how I'm a monster"

"You're not a monster." She said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I am a monster, dearie"

"Monsters don't love, and you love your son"

"Monsters can love, they just can't be loved in return"

"Baelfire loves you, and I'm sure his mother loved you too"

The laugh that burst from his chest chilled her to the bone, such a cold and mirthless sound filled with pain and genuine amusement. "Sure, she loved me alright." He snapped sarcastically, removing himself from the room so as to escape the questions she no doubt now simmered with.

His wife, Milah, love him? What a load of garbage.

Meanwhile, Jiminy took Red around to the back of the house, away from prying eyes and ears. She was a little drowsy and still rather tipsy, but he knew what he was about to tell her would snap her right out of it.

"Red, there is something I need to tell you," he began quietly, but was quickly cut off.

"Look, I'm sorry about the way I've been treating you lately, I was just so worried about Belle, I thought she was in danger, but she seems ok"

"She isn't..."

The dark beauty's pale blue eyes locked on him sharply. "What are you talking about?"

"She nearly died tonight." He wanted to do this slowly, maybe bring her to realise the truth for herself rather than having him spell it all out, but she was quick to judge and he could see this getting out of control.

"That bastard did something, didn't he? What did he do to her? I'm gonna kill him!" As wild and feral as she was as a wolf, Jiminy was careful but firm.

"No, he saved her life, and spared yours"

"Huh?" Did she really talk like that all the time or was it just the after effects of her transformation?

"You were the one who almost killed Belle. That was you, Red, if the Dark One hadn't healed her, she would have died"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You are not a normal girl, you are something else, you're -" there really was no other term that fit the description. "-a werewolf"

The look on her face made him feel like he had just shouted the most nonsensical riddle from the top of a house.

"Have you been taking poppy seeds with your tea? You're delusional, Jiminy!"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"What?"

"What is the last thing you remember? Before I carried you into the cottage?"

"Uh...I don't know," she shrugged casually. "I'm still pretty tired, I can't think right now"

"Try"

"The last thing I remember...arguing with you, funnily enough!" She snapped, getting a little tired of his pressuring.

"You don't remember walking off afterwards?" She shook her head. "You don't remember coming into town? Or the reason I had to carry you? Or how you got all those injuries? Or how you ended up wearing that cloak?"

With every question more the light in her eyes dimmed. Shock flooded her crystal orbs as she came to realise he was right, she couldn't remember anything, it was like everything had gone black. Her body tensed up and she suddenly felt all the wounds that were scattered about her. Running her hands over her neck, she felt a wide ring of puncture holes that had dried into scabs, like a morbid necklace of how close she had come to death, and if Jiminy was right about that then...

"Oh my gods...I tried to kill Belle? I tried to kill my best friend"

Her eyes were wide with shock, her mouth hanging open as she tried not to scream in horror. Curling in on herself, Jiminy was quick to lend her a set of warm arms. He held her to his chest, rubbing her back soothingly while she cried silently, her tear-filled eyes barely blinking. How could she have attacked her best friend? She loved Belle like a sister and if it hadn't been for the Dark One she would be dead...because of her.

... ...

The sun was well and truly gone now and Red and Jiminy were yet to return. Belle had found the strength to leave the bed and join Baelfire and Moraine around the table, sharing in a bowl of hot soup that Bae had prepared.

"This is delicious, Bae, where did you learn to make this?" Belle asked softly, desiring quiet conversation right now.

"Papa taught me, you know, before the curse"

Belle stole a quick glance at Rumplestiltskin, he was still hunched over in the dark corner, his face a map of emotions written in a language she didn't understand. Turning back to the children, she noticed Moraine trying to smile for Bae but looking rather shaken up.

"Moraine should be going home, her parents must be fretting as much as Rumple was earlier. I'll walk you home, ok?" Belle offered?

Moraine smiled and nodded, feeling quite enthusiastic about climbing into her bed after the excitement of tonight.

"I should take her home, you should rest, Belle, you're still very weak." He was only trying to look out for her, but Belle just shook her head.

"I will take her, if you show up her parents will probably have a heart attack, and relax, I'm fine. A little fresh air and a short walk before bed will do me some good"

"But Belle-"

"I manage the short walk across the street, Rumplestiltskin, I'm going"

She picked up Moraine's discarded coat and handed it to the girl before the two of them stepped outside. Only one of them had noticed that Belle had never looked at Rumplestiltskin once during the night, even when she was talking directly to him and it was slowly killing him inside.

Outside in the cool night air, Belle walked side by side with Moraine, loving the feel of the silence that encased the two of them. A sound in the forest made her jump right out of her skin and next thing she knew, Moraine had taken hold of her hand.

"It's only an owl, it's okay, Belle." She said with a comforting smile.

Belle appreciated the girl's understanding and continued walking. There were so many things going through her mind that she just couldn't make sense of, and it was starting to scare her.

"Belle, can I ask you a question?" She asked shyly.

"Of course"

"Did you...were you...did...you actually...die?" It took her a few minutes to get all the words out and when she did she wished she had never spoken. "I'm sorry, that's very inappropriate, if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. I understand"

Belle wanted to smile reassuringly at Moraine, but her lips wouldn't even curve. There was silence between them for most of the walk after that, just before they were about to reach Moraine's house on the next block, Belle responded.

"Yes, I think so"

Moraine was shocked, gripping Belle's hand in sympathy. "What was it like?"

She had to stop and think about that, everything was so jumbled and cluttered inside her head right now it was difficult to arrange her thoughts. "It was cold...I couldn't feel anything, I couldn't move, everything went black and then...I don't know how to explain it, it's very complex. I suppose it was like my spirit was leaving my body, or trying to anyway, like I was being pulled away towards something else and it kind of terrified me..." She realised her words were upsetting the girl and she put on a forced smile. "For a minute or two at least, I was dead"

Neither one of them said another word after that. Belle walked Moraine home, made sure she got inside okay, said goodnight and then returned to the cottage.

Along the way, the night took advantage of her solitude, making her hear every snapping twig or growl anywhere near her. A pet dog snoring in its sleep was like a snarl to her ears; a mouse eating a stolen grape, crunching on the old food and reminding her of the fruit that still made her skin sticky with its fragrance. If she closed her eyes she could see the wolf's glistening teeth and claws, she could smell her own blood and see Rumplestiltskin looking down at her.

Those eyes of his, normally so cold and reptilian, had filled with emotion in that moment; emotion for her. That look on his face was burnt into her mind and she couldn't even look at him without seeing herself bleeding out on the ground again.

Moving a little faster, Belle nearly ran for the cottage, forcing a calm entrance when she arrived. Bae was tucked up in bed and Red and Jiminy were sitting by the fire; waiting for her apparently.

"Red, Jiminy, I should get you set up for the night"

"Rumplestiltskin already saw to that actually," Jiminy explained. "He said Red could sleep in the upstairs room and I offered to sleep on the floor, the carpet is quite lovely"

"Red sleep in my room? Where was I to sleep?"

"In his bed"

"I'm sorry?"

"He said he wouldn't be using it tonight and that it would be much nicer than your bed for you to sleep in after today, so-"

"I can handle the ladder, that's all this is about, he's being over protective. Red, you and I swap ok?"

"OK, Belle, sweet dreams"

Red gave a little wave goodbye as Belle climbed up the ladder and into the garret. Once she was gone, Red eyed the offered bed suspiciously.

"I'm not very comfortable with the idea of sleeping in another man's bed, even if he's not in it." She whispered to Jiminy, who couldn't help but smile.

"Where are you going to sleep then?"

Looking around, she landed a perky grin in his direction. "The floor sounds nice"

"Really?"

"Well yeah, ever since I found out about this...condition of mine, a few things have started making sense"

"Like how you love to curl up on the floor by the fire?"

"Exactly"

He shrugged his response and the two of them snagged a pillow each to sleep with on the soft rug.

In the loft, Belle looked over the empty space. She was still for a minute or so, simply lost in her thoughts.

"I believe your friend was supposed to be staying up here tonight"

She wasn't even surprised to hear his voice coming from the back of the room. "I told her that I was quite capable of climbing the ladder, I gave her your bed instead"

"Hmm, I thought you might do that"

He stepped forward and waved his hand, the straw pallet disappearing in a cloud of smoke and leaving behind a beautiful wooden bed with a feather mattress.

"You don't need to-" She began to protest.

"Consider it a gift, you're not a slave here anymore, haven't been for a while I think"

He turned to leave, kneeling down before the ladder when he froze. He turned his head towards her slightly, enough so she could hear him properly, but not quite able to see her.

"You are released from our deal"

"What?" She whirled around.

"You are no longer a slave in my household. You may stay here if you wish, for as long as you want you are welcome..." He turned away to hide the tears at the corners of his eyes. "But if you desire to go home with your friends...you are free to do so"

The last words had been so hard for him to say, he didn't want her to go, but he couldn't justify keeping her here any longer. She was a free woman to do as she pleased, and if that choice didn't include him...he would just have to learn to accept that.

He had disappeared downstairs before she could say a word, a shocked sob escaped her as she clapped her hand over her mouth. Had he really meant that? Had he truly given her back her freedom? Did she want to be free of him?

Her mind was too warped tonight to think about something so important and she dived into her new bed, stripping down to her under garments and wrapping the warm blankets around her like a loving embrace. A few tears hit her pillow and her nose twitched as the scent of lavender gently arose. The perfume of the sweet smelling flower lulled her off to sleep before she could even think to ask why her bedding smelt like lavender.

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_**I'm not sure when the next chapter will be ready, I seem to have found my muse for this story again, but I can't truly say how active this story will be. I really appreciate all the reviews I've been getting, they really do provide the inspiration and motivation us writers need. Thanks to all of you awesome people!**_


	9. Tribulations All Around

_**Ok, so this wasn't really part of the plan and it just kind of started writing itself, must be good stuff, right?  
**_

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It was quiet all throughout the cottage; everyone slept silently, though none of them slept peacefully.

Red was constantly clawing at the carpet, as if trying to get a grip on something to keep her grounded. Jiminy kept waking up to her actions, the sound of her nails scratching the carpet right beside his head was not easy to ignore. He would place his hand over hers and for a little while she would relax. By the end of the night, Jiminy had moved to lay right beside her with both her hands clasped in his; the only way to keep her sound in her dreams.

Bae wouldn't remember his dreams from that night, but he would wake up in the morning with tears on his face, a fearful pounding in his chest and the overwhelming urge to climb into bed next to Belle like he used to do with his mama when she was still around.

Rumplestiltskin didn't sleep at all. He sat in a corner of the house, away from the eyes of everyone else, and stared into the blackness. He would hardly breathe this night, eyes wide while his mind crashed and twisted like the sea with all the thoughts and feelings he had recently acquired. So many 'what if's to think about, he didn't have the time to sift through it all if he let himself sleep.

Belle was the worst. Up in the attic alone she tossed and turned, the bed wet with tears and sweat, her brow creased and eyes squeezed so tight that it hurt her face. In her dreams, fangs and claws tormented her. A rose of stunning beauty was crushed under a dog's paw and it began to melt into a sea of blood. She choked on her own breath, daggers stabbing into her at every point, pain erupting through her bones until they felt like broken glass.

She woke before the sun, grateful to be free of her night terrors for the day. She quickly cleaned herself up and put on her usual blue dress, briefly noticing how every drop of her blood had been drawn out of it when Rumplestiltskin had healed her. She thought about how grateful she was for that so she didn't have a constant reminder following her around all day. Tying her hair back into a loose ponytail with a blue ribbon, she set her mind on work.

Neglecting her shoes, she snuck down the ladder and observed the scene before her. Everyone was still well asleep, calmly it would seem. She stepped out into the sun to get started on her chores, keeping the silent peace in the cottage a little while longer as she tended to the sheep.

Walking barefooted on the grass, she wished she could find some pleasure in the sensation of the morning dew washing her feet and the soft blades of grass tenderly stroking her skin. But she felt nothing.

Not a one other person was awake at this hour, even the sheep still slept. Belle went about filling the water trough and making sure they all had food enough for the day. She spent more time than was necessary doing the job, focusing on every little detail she could find as the sun began to rise. She sharpened the shears and checked the fence line for weak points, she even dug up a small thorny plant that had sprouted up in the middle of the pen, removing the danger from the sheep and tucking the plant into a bowl she found round the back of the house.

She sat with the plant for a little while, staring at the tiny green points sticking out of the shoot at random. Without really thinking about it, she reached towards the plant and ran her finger down the stalk, pulling her hand back to look at the prick of blood on her fingertip. It stung a little bit, but she barely noticed. She watched motionless as the little red drop slowly crept down the pale extension.

Suddenly, she wiped the spot of blood away and turned around, straightening her dress like everything was perfectly normal. Her eyes rose to see a middle-aged man on his knees in the dirt, gathering together the mess of wood and fruit she had fallen into last night.

Feeling guilty for creating more work for the man, Belle jumped the fence and went to assist him.

She knelt down on the other side of the wreckage and began sorting through the fruit for any that might still be sellable while placing the ruined produce in a pile.

"I'm so sorry about this, I can pay you for the ruined fruit"

The old man gave her a weak smile. "Weren't your fault, was that wolf that did this. Saw everything from the window last night, everyone was watching. Stupid mutt, that thing was a monster, you're lucky to be alive"

"Rumplestiltskin healed me actually, he saved my life." Belle smiled, handing the man an apple with only a few small bruises.

The man was shocked. "What did you have to do for that?" His judgmental tone beginning to grate her nerves.

"I didn't have to do anything, he did it because he wanted to not because of a deal we made"

Clearly the man didn't believe her and that irritated her even more.

"He isn't all bad you know, he may do some terrible things but underneath it all he is still a man"

He laughed roughly at her. "He was never a man to begin with, and I suppose you're going to tell me that big beast that nearly killed you last night and cost me a week's pay is really a big puppy"

Belle stopped helping the man and stood up, furious with his attitude. "That 'monster' actually happens to be a werewolf who is also my best friend"

The man looked up at Belle as though she had started clucking like a chicken. "You are just as lost as they are, you keep that freak show of yours away from me and my family, you demonic child!"

She didn't know what made her do it, Belle was just so angry and upset that the man's words cut her much deeper than she would normally have allowed. With a grim glare, she kicked the pile of rotten apple pieces into the man's face. She only got a glance of the bastard wiping the sickly sweet smelling mush out of his eyes before she hurried back to the cottage escaping the risk of causing any more damage.

Occupying herself once again with repeating the duties she had just performed, Belle stopped to look at the plant in the bowl every once in a while. Before cleaning herself up, she grabbed a cup of water and sprinkled the fluid over the plant.

When there was nothing more she could do, she turned to go back inside and just managed to swallow a squeal of surprise to find Rumplestiltskin standing by the door. He didn't speak at first, waiting for the look of shock on her face to die down.

"You should still be sleeping dearie; it is early even for you"

His voice was low so as to not startle the sheep and he stood motionless as a statue in the shade of the house.

Belle busied herself with gathering water for tea while she responded, keeping her eyes on anything but him. "Couldn't sleep"

He crossed his arms. "Is that all?"

"Of course, why would there be anything else?" She decided not to mention her little outburst before, if he hadn't seen the whole thing for himself anyway.

His eyes fell to the ground. "You nearly died last night." The words caused him more pain than he cared to admit even to himself, he didn't want to think about what his life would be like if she hadn't survived.

Belle bit her lip sharply, her face scrunching up while she reined in her wild emotions and reminded herself how to breathe. "Actually I did die, not almost, did"

The colour drained from his face as he came to understand why she was still so shaken up. "You...how long?"

"A minute, 30 seconds, I don't know. I don't want to think about it." She muttered very quickly.

His heart felt so heavy, his body wracked with guilt as he prepared to admit his part in that. "I'm sorry Belle, I am so sorry...I should've saved you"

"You did." She replied.

"No, before that...when you were falling I had the chance to save you, to stop you from hitting the ground and I...I hesitated and then I was too late to stop you, and I am so sorry for that. I never should have let you fall, I'm so sorry"

With her back to him she missed the twinkling of the tears in his eyes, the shame he held for his inaction.

She might have forgotten why she wasn't looking at him in that moment, tempted to spin around and stare at his face to see if this was true, but she couldn't stand to see him right now, the very idea of looking at him after that admission too painful for her while she was so vulnerable.

"You know, I was beginning to think that, despite me being a slave in your house, that we were starting to be friends. I thought we could be friends"

His eyes shot up from the ground to gaze at her with just the tiniest inkling of hope. "We're friends?" He asked with anticipation. Had she really seen him that way?

He couldn't see her face and so missed the broken expression and the flicker of anger in her eyes. "No, we are not friends, you don't let friends fall and that's exactly what you did"

Her words hit him like a punch to the gut. "Belle..."

"You had the chance to save me and you let me fall? You don't do that to friends so no, we are not friends!" Her voice was cruel and angry, hot tears leaking from her eyes blind to his sight. He could've saved her from the pain and torment she was going through right now, but no he just had to doubt himself in that one most important moment.

With all the power in the world right at his fingertips, he could have done so much differently last night and yet she had had to watch her life slip away from her and be drawn somewhere dark and cold before he brought her back so she could suffer alive. She had put her faith in him, she had allowed herself to trust him and he had betrayed her.

Choking back a sob she dropped the bucket on the ground, water jumping up to hit the back of her dress as she rushed past him, running back inside and closing the door.

Rumplestiltskin couldn't make a move to stop her, he couldn't breathe or think, he could only feel, and right now he wished he could do anything but. He should've known she would cause him pain, every woman in his life did, and she should've been no different. But she _was_ different and that was why it hurt so much more this time, because it _was_ his fault, he had been given a second chance and he had botched it all up just like last time.

... ...

Belle burst through the door without thinking about the sleeping occupants inside. Baelfire was jerked from his sleep when she came in so suddenly. Red was already awake but Jiminy practically leapt off the floor in fright.

To their eyes, Belle looked a little tired, but in the shadows they couldn't see her tears. Red stepped forward, her head hung low as she planned how she was going to apologise to Belle and try to make up for what she had tried to do last night; even if it wasn't really her fault as Jiminy kept telling her.

"Belle, can we talk for a minute?"

Belle looked at Red's face, the serious look and the guilt that matched Rumplestiltskin's and she felt the urge to throw something at her best friend's head. "No, I don't want to talk, I don't want to talk with you or Rum, I don't want to talk to anybody! Just leave me alone!"

She stormed past her friend and flew up the ladder like fire, not seeing the state she had left Red in.

Red let her own tears fall down her face, but she wasn't ready to give up. Belle had been through a lot last night, maybe she just needed a little more time. She was always easier to talk to once she had calmed down a little and she had always welcomed Red's company then, even when her tears were because of her.

... ...

Up in the attic, Belle threw a sheet over the window to keep out the sunlight, it hurt her eyes in this dark room and she didn't need any more pain than what she already had. She buried herself in her bed, blankets pulled over her head as she tried to disappear in their warm embrace.

She wished she had stayed dead, because living was so much harder. She couldn't see clearly anymore, all she saw was red and black. She wanted to hit something, smash something, and she very nearly picked up the one book she now owned and threw it out the window just to hear the glass smash. She would have done so if she could reach it, but she had left her book downstairs funnily enough.

It felt like everything in her world was crashing down on her head, so many things pressing on her mind and before she could sort through one another would stuff itself into a space it couldn't fit. The horror and pain of having died, being brought back and having to deal with that experience, then discovering her best friend was a werewolf who had tried to murder her, and now Rumplestiltskin admits he let her fall to her death. No, she didn't want to talk to Ruby right now, she didn't want to talk to Jiminy either, she was sick of all these people in her head, and the worst part was where her guilt over her anger towards them made her want to find a way that it was her fault not theirs.

She felt horrible for being so angry with them. Red had been there for her their entire lives, no matter what was going on in her life Red had always made time for Belle when she needed it, and while Rumplestiltskin had been mean and cruel at first, she had meant it when she had told him she thought they were becoming friends.

There was so much going on and so much to think about that it felt like she was going to explode. Maybe she should just stop for a moment and try to think about one thing at a time before moving onto the next.

She started with Rumplestiltskin, since he was the most complicated. She thought about the fun they had had in the past few days, the games they had played. She remembered the way he gaped at her when she outsmarted his 'flying apple' diversion, she had never had a man look at her like that before. He was more than shocked by her actions that day, he was impressed.

He had begun to let himself be comfortable in her presence, telling her things he had never told anybody. She had really started to enjoy being here with him and Baelfire. Oh, Baelfire.

The poor boy probably didn't have a clue what was going on right now, they had all been wrapped up in their own problems last night that no one had stopped to check on how he was doing. The boy always managed to bring a smile to her face and Belle suddenly felt the desperate need for one of his hugs right now. He was old enough for her to confide in, and the least she could do is make sure he understood why the adults were acting so strangely.

She didn't want to see Rumple, she didn't want to talk to Red, but Baelfire might just be the person she needed right now. Climbing out of the warm bed, she crept towards the trapdoor in the floor. She opened what posed as a bedroom door and poked her head down to look around.

Red and Jiminy were over by the fireplace, speaking too quietly for her to hear. Rumplestiltskin was nowhere to be seen, but Bae was moving about in the kitchen, assuming her part of house cook while she was away.

Belle wanted to get his attention without letting the others know, she didn't want to have to explain to them why she would rather talk to a fifteen year old than them. Fortunately, Bae seemed to be thinking about her often enough to look up at her door every few minutes and he offered a comforting smile to her when he saw her poking her head down from the roof.

She made a gesture with her hand for him to come upstairs, disappearing back into her room before the others noticed. A minute later and Baelfire had climbed up the ladder and shut the little door.

* * *

_**So next up is a heart to heart with Bae. I had to end it here or it was going to go on and on, so next time! R&R  
**_


	10. Little Boy Blue

_**Let's have a little Heart to Heart with Harley :P  
**_

* * *

When Baelfire climbed out the trap door, closing it behind him, Belle was sitting against the wall and he crawled over to sit beside her.

"How you feeling, Belle?" He asked quietly. Everyone was being so quiet lately and it was starting to bother her.

"I'm fine...I'm ok...sometimes"

"What's wrong? I heard you yelling at Red before, did she do something?"

"Well, no not really...it wasn't really her but...it's kind of hard to make that distinction in my head. Because I remember looking into the wolf's eyes and...I swear there was a piece of Red in there. But Red would never try to kill me..." She fell silent for a few minutes as her eyes filled with tears. Her emotions were so raw and she had such little control over them right now. "...I just don't know what to do, Bae"

The boy snuggled up against her and held her hand in his; rubbing his head against her shoulder in the same way a cat would if it sought to offer comfort. Belle's heart warmed at his affection and she let the tears begin to roll, her body trembling a little as hushed sobs wracked her body.

"I yelled at your father this morning..."

"Did he do something wrong too?"

She didn't even know how to answer that. Things could happen, accidents happened, but she just couldn't get past the fact that he had let the chance to save her slip away from him. After the trust she had started to put in him, it just felt like such a horrible betrayal. It wasn't really his fault, her head knew this and it was screaming at her heart for saying such things to him, for hating him the way she did, but she had always followed her heart over her head and so it was the stronger of the two.

It took her a long while before she realised that Baelfire was crying too, and the only reason she turned to look at his eyes was because he said something so ridiculous she had to see the proof that he had really spoken those words.

"I'm sorry, Belle, I should have done something to help, I should've stopped it somehow, I should have done something"

She pulled away from the wall to face him fully, placing her hands on his shoulders and fighting her tears back in order to speak clearly and plainly to him.

"Don't you dare start blaming yourself for what happened, everyone in this house is blaming themselves, even me and the last thing any of us needs is for you to join us. We're all a little lost right now, you need to be strong. You didn't do anything wrong, you were doing exactly as you were supposed to and I am so glad that you weren't hurt"

A tidal wave of tears spilled forth from his eyes and he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face against her torso, his chest heaving with every heavy sob that rattled his body.

"I'm just happy you're ok, I was so scared of losing you again, Belle, I didn't want to lose you. I saw you die last night, I saw it happen and...please don't go, don't go back to your town just...stay with us because I don't know what I to do without you"

A small laugh escaped her and she kissed the top of his head. "You've only known me two weeks, Bae"

He held her tighter and his sobs lessened, leaving him silent for a moment. "And in that time you have been more of a mother to me than my real one ever was"

"What do you mean?"

He stilled for a moment, surprised that she didn't seem to understand. "My mother didn't die, she left us when I was five. She left my papa and went off on a ship with pirates, and made my papa tell me she was dead"

His admission shook her to the core and she couldn't help the tears that followed and while his previous statement filled her heart with love for him, it was horrible to imagine what he had had to live with since he found out the truth. Bae was fifteen years old, it wouldn't be too much longer before he was a grown man and he would be moving out, taking a wife and starting a family of his own, and yet he was still a heartbroken child without a mother, seeking for the love he was deprived of by the woman who birthed him. His father had done his best to compensate, but growing up without a mother was hard enough without knowing that she hadn't cared about you enough to stay with you. A child should never be abandoned by his mother; it was a crime of nature.

"I want you to stay, Belle...I want you to be my mother"

What he was asking of her was huge and while just about anyone would name it as a request too big for them to handle right now, oddly enough it was exactly what she needed. He needed her to help him be strong, he needed her to be strong and that was enough for her to try. Even if she was still a miserable mess of tears and anguish at the end of the day, she needed this purpose to get her out of bed in the morning and she was so grateful for the twist of fate that landed this boy in her life. Regardless of all the pain and horror that had come with him, it was all worth it for this boy.

Things would be easier with him, he just needed to know that she was going to stay, that everything between the whole lot of them was going to be okay one day and his troubles would pass. So she kissed his head again and hugged him.

"I'm not going anywhere, Bae, I won't leave you; I promise"

He released a deep breath in relief at her words and he curled up in her arms like a child. The tears began to dry and the hearts fading down to a normal beat, but they stayed together, holding each other in an embrace that was so real and so natural it was difficult to believe that Belle wasn't his real mother.

A sneaky smile crept onto Bae's face. "So...can I call you Mama?"

Belle burst into laughter, the powerful emotion destroyed the misery in her chest and lifted her up into the sky. Laughter really was the best medicine.

But her cheeks still went beet red. "I don't know about that, it has been way too soon to be doing anything as crazy as that." She felt him more than heard him sigh slightly in disappointment. "But maybe one day in the future it'll be ok"

He looked up so quickly she worried for the health of his neck at moving so fast. "Really?" His eyes were so bright and hopeful that she couldn't say 'no' even if that had been her intention.

"Really, but don't tell anyone else about this, ok? The others might not understand"

Baelfire nodded excitedly and buried himself once again in her arms. Belle could only roll her eyes and smile.

"You know Bae, I just remembered something: I never gave you your birthday present"

Getting up off the floor, she went straight to the bed, lifting up a loose floorboard and taking out her little secret.

She picked up the little straw piece and hurried back to Bae. He grinned delightfully when she handed him a rose, a combination of straw pieces, the shoots carefully shredded down and pressed open, a stick for the stem and multicoloured thread holding it all together. She had pulled her old dress apart to get the thread, she wasn't going to be wearing that shiny thing around here. The bud of the rose sparkled in the light, the string threaded through each piece multiple times to hold the stubborn stuff in place.

"Wow Belle, it's so pretty! How did you make this?"

"Straw from my bed and thread from the dress I was wearing when I first came here. I borrowed the spindle from your father's spinning wheel to poke little holes in the straw and then I threaded it together. Your father told me about that toy dog he once made for you and I thought you might like it. I couldn't make much else"

The boy was in her arms in a second, hugging her around the neck with the rose still in his hand. "Thank you Belle! I love it! Thank you so much!"

Belle wrapped her arms around the boy and hugged him back just as fiercely. They settled back into a comfy embrace, side by side, when Baelfire looked up at her fearfully.

"What's gonna happen with you and Papa now?"

"Oh Bae, I don't know where to start." She wrapped her arm around his shoulders, trying to find a reassuring smile for the topic. "I was so furious with him this morning, he told me about how he had the chance to save me when I was falling, and he froze or paused...I don't know, I don't think he knows either...Bae, I blamed him for last night, I made out that it was his fault I died"

Bae's eyes went wide and he looked away for a moment, trying to imagine what that would have been like for his papa and trying to predict how he might deal with it.

"I was so horrible to him, I was yelling at him and saying how we could never be friends..."

"Did he yell back?"

"No...no he didn't, he didn't say anything actually, just took it and let me go"

Baelfire looked away, hanging his head as if in shame of his father's actions, or maybe for another reason. Either way Belle really didn't feel like discussing Rumplestiltskin right now.

"Um, Bae could we not talk about your father? I'm not really feeling up for it"

"Sure, ok, we can just sit here for a while"

She tightened her arm around him and settled down, allowing the lazy morning to sweep over her until the both of them had fallen asleep, the darkened room composing sweet dreams for the both of them.

... ...

It was late afternoon when Belle awoke to find herself alone, curled up on the floor with her blanket pulled off the bed to be laid over her. Baelfire was missing but there was a plate of chicken and vegetables sitting beside the trap door. She smiled for the boy and how caring he was for everyone else.

While keeping the blanket tight around her shoulders, she crawled across the floor to reach out and pull the plate closer. Nibbling lightly to begin with, her mouth was soon watering at the taste of the still warm chicken, juicy and rich with a slice of buttered bread on the side. The vegetables were a little under cooked, but Belle wasn't too bothered by it. She imagined Bae cooking this meal and then realised it was a little too perfect, and familiar. Red had helped him out, the bread was her making and Red's chicken was always the best. Actually anything to do with meat was delicious when having come from Red, meat was her absolute favourite of all foods; now they knew why.

The thought turned cold and quivered down her spine, but Belle refused to let the feeling last very long. Finishing up her dinner, she made to head downstairs when she froze; her hand on the trapdoor handle. Was she really ready to face them after what had happened?

She didn't want to think about what she felt for Rumplestiltskin, it was such a big mess. While the logical part of her brain was telling her that it had just been an accident, there was a smaller, yet stronger part of her brain suggesting that it had been intentional. Looking at the situation, even the logical side was able to agree it could make sense, even if it didn't concur with the idea. She had not done anything wrong to Baelfire, yet he had still taken her hostage and made her a slave in his house. He knew she was innocent but he hadn't done anything about it. Instead of admitting his mistake to her, apologising and letting her go he had kept her around, possibly in the hopes that she would eventually forget _why_ she was here and just stick with it.

Maybe he had begun trying to plan how to get rid of her and that moment had been perfect. He could remove her from the situation and blame it on the wolf so that Baelfire wouldn't blame him. He could have his son all to his own again and get away scot free. Why did he heal her? To cover his backside when it was revealed her friends had come looking for her, surely they wouldn't fall for the same excuse and accuse him of letting it happen just like she was doing now.

When things hadn't gone the way he had planned he had decided to just let her go, freeing her from their deal and hoping she would walk out of their lives forever. This was the story that was built inside her head and Belle wanted to scream until it came out. Her mind fought itself, like she was split in two and both sides were at war with each other.

Shaking the complex and daunting theory from her head, she gathered all the courage in her soul and lifted the door.

* * *

_**Well, this story is about to flip its shit. I asked my muse pixie for some inspiration and she went and got high. You guys are either gonna love the next chapter or hate it, do let me know what you think when it comes along, I'm rather worried about where my muse has taken this story.  
**_


	11. Victim

_**I had so much trouble with this chapter and I really don't know why, you are either gonna love it or hate it  
**_

* * *

Everyone was stunned to see her when she finally appeared, and then the guilty looks came back and Belle wanted to slap each and every one of them. Red was the most neurotic, fidgeting like a five year old. Belle forced a smile at her and watched as she visibly relaxed. Clearly she wasn't quite herself or she would surely have realised the smile was false.

Belle just didn't have the mental energy to deal with everything at once and the last thing she wanted was Red depending on her forgiveness to sleep at night. She didn't want anyone depending on her right now, not until this was all cleared up and past; which could be a very long time. But first she had to deal with this in one way or another; the gods knew Red was not known for her patience.

She walked forward and wrapped her arms around her best friend, trying not to cry when she felt Red's tears on her back. She pulled away to smile at her, cheerful as she ever was.

"It's really good to see you again, Red, I really missed you"

Red wanted to smother Belle in hugs and kisses and thank her for not being furious with her. If her best friend had turned on her she wouldn't have been able to handle it.

Belle didn't blame her for what had happened, and that lifted half the world off the young woman's shoulders. The other half, unfortunately, was something of a much darker nature that she had become very hesitant to discuss. She wanted to tell Belle the other reason she was here: to kill Rumplestiltskin. But she had spent all day talking to Baelfire and Jiminy in Belle's absence today, and now she was worried of how her best friend would react to this news now that she knew she and the Dark One didn't hate each other's guts.

Belle had always been a caring soul and she had figured she would try to talk Red out of it the moment she found out what she intended to do, but if there was anything more than pure hatred between the beauty and the beast then there was a horrible chance Rumplestiltskin's death might hurt Belle too, something Red could not risk.

Jiminy had told her to wait until they were sure of what was going on, and at least Rumplestiltskin hadn't been around all day so she didn't have to worry about ripping his throat out because she couldn't control herself. But now that Belle had come down from her room, the wolf's skin was burning with the need to spill her secret to her best friend. Like tar filling up in her chest and making it hard to breathe, the hatred and drive bubbled up inside her. Belle was smiling so sweetly at Red, so oblivious to the dark thoughts whirling inside her head.

It had been building up all day and now that Belle was finally there Red was ready to tell the truth...thank the gods Jiminy noticed it too.

"Belle, did you manage to eat all your dinner? Baelfire and Red are pretty good cooks, aren't they?" Breaking a space between the two girls, Belle chalked it up to him simply being happy to see her while Red thankfully took cover behind his shoulder.

Belle smiled with a genuine light this time and Red realised with a chill that the last smile had been a ruse. Maybe Belle didn't really forgive her and she was just being nice...or maybe...there were so many things it could be, the only thing she knew for sure was that she would be discussing it with Jiminy later. Of everyone in the house, he was the only one with a truly level head; he was the only one with any answers.

With all the thoughts that were going through everyone's minds, it was rather incredible that none of their heads had exploded. Belle's thoughts drifted away from her own pain and torment for a moment and took in the missing person from the room.

"Where is Rumplestiltskin?" Whether she liked it or not, she had to talk to him. To ask if he had let her die on purpose or to apologise for her behaviour this morning, it didn't matter, they needed to talk.

Red's mind went blank. "I haven't seen him all day, he was here during the night but after this morning...he hasn't been here-"

"Since I spoke to him"

_'Oh gods, what does that mean?'_ Rumplestiltskin wasn't exactly the easiest person to understand on a normal day, but now she was even more torn over her theories. He could be off planning a new way to get rid of her or nursing the hurt she had inflicted from that morning, maybe trying to come up with a way to fix it.

"I'm going to go look for him, he might be in the forest, and it could take a while to find him. Just make sure you have that cloak on come nightfall and Bae," She turned to the boy, both smiling and staring curiously. "I want you in bed no later than two hours after the moon is up. I'm going to go find your father and bring him home"

Bae looked nervous, but whatever he was thinking about the situation he decided to keep to himself.

Ignoring the look of distain on Red's face, Belle slid smoothly between the group and out the back door, glad for the breath of fresh air that followed. If she wanted to keep her head from blowing up, she had to face her fears and problems head on and deal with them before the next batch of problems rolled by, because apart from the fact that Red had her problem under control and Rumplestiltskin could be reasoned with no matter his motives; if he had any; but Belle had such a lovely feeling that something worse was coming her way.

... ...

Lost in a twisted curse of his own making, Rumplestiltskin found himself thick in the woods long before the morning passed. He had always been good at getting himself into trouble, but he had never been any good at making things better, not unless the problem was with Bae. Had it been his fault? Was it not his fault? Had Belle been unfair this morning or should she have been harsher on him?

The great Dark One and he didn't have any of the answers. Speaking of which, the dark power inside of him was waking up, sick with the weak-minded and cowardly persona that played as its host. Rumplestiltskin's doubts and fears mixed with the memories and desires of the ancient power was slowly driving him insane. He couldn't be sure which thoughts were his anymore, and he was already trying to fight himself against the idea that Belle had done anything wrong while all the true Dark One part of him wanted was to punish her for disrespecting him, speaking down to him and thinking she could get away with it.

He wanted to protect Belle, he wanted to protect Bae, he wanted to protect himself, but until he got his head on straight he was nothing but a danger to all of them. He couldn't go home, he couldn't be anywhere near Belle or his son and that pained him even more. Bae had this special talent, born with the ability to calm anyone and make the worst of anger and grief seem to drift away with a smile and a few words.

He needed Baelfire right now, but the risk of hurting him was far too great. He needed to find the pin point in this magic mix up party in his brain, the single string he had to pull to get everything to move properly. With every thought and feeling of guilt came possible scenarios, more feelings and complex conundrums, each one of them blocking up his mental pipes even more and making it impossible to think straight.

The dark power was using this to its advantage, cutting through the fog to lay its own suggestions into the mix where they would be found, a magic so old it had devised a personality of its own. Nearly always dormant, Rumplestiltskin's less-than-desirable characteristics had played too much of a part and left the mind of the Dark One vulnerable to the magic's influence.

He was so busy trying to figure out what part of his mind was actually his and which part belonged to the magic that he didn't notice when there was someone else in the woods with him.

"Rumple..."

She jumped back a few steps when he spun around so quick. "Belle..."

Belle had been prepared for anger or misery and guilt, but when he moved so suddenly and sent this look of longing in her direction it had her stumped. Why was he looking at her that way? Why did it give her the kinds of strange feelings that flutter about in the gut? This was something she had not been expecting and suddenly she was left speechless, unable to remember why she had come looking for him or what they were meant to talk about. She felt warmer than the late autumn justified and it confused her...in a good way.

Thankfully, Rumplestiltskin picked up on her uneasiness and faced her properly to speak first. "Belle, what are you doing here? I didn't think you would...is something wrong?"

Cobalt eyes frozen in a state of surprise and curiosity suddenly blinked out of their daze; the nervousness returning almost instantly. She looked down at her feet. "You've been gone all day, you missed dinner, we were wondering where you were"

He seriously doubted that her friends gave half a damn about him, which left Bae and Belle herself...something which gave him just a hint of hope. If Belle had wondered where he was that meant that she had thought about him, and she had cared enough to come looking, so those thoughts couldn't be packed with hate, or at least not all of them.

"I figured you would rather I not be around for a while..."

She kicked herself for thinking him off making evil plots. It had been stupid and horrible of her to think that, after all he had never given any sign that he...

"Did you let me fall on purpose?"

"What?"

The words had slipped out before her mind had fully formed them, and now that they were out in the open, she could only stare at him waiting.

"Did you want me gone because I was taking Baelfire away from you?"

The cold horror was clear on his face, making her gut twist unpleasantly.

"No, no, no, no! No, never! I didn't want you gone at all, I was terrified of losing you...I saw you falling and I should have done something but...I was so scared and..."

Belle's eyes softened as she understood what he was trying to say. "You were immobilised by your fear. That happens a lot to people"

"It's not supposed to happen during moments like that, happen some other time, happen ten times a day but just not that one moment when it mattered the most...but it did happen, because I was scared. I have been a coward my entire life and even as the powerful Dark One I can't escape that..."

Her heart felt heavy with pity for him, she wished she had known of his plight earlier, and then maybe she wouldn't have been so quick to judge. "You can't be all coward, you did take on a werewolf"

"I knew I could handle the wolf, I didn't know if I could save you"

Now that that question had been put to rest, her whole basis for hating him and being wary of him fell to dust. He hadn't betrayed her trust or wanted her dead, he was just overcome with fear.

"Well...why don't we just try to forget it ever happened"

"What?" He hadn't been expecting that.

"I just want to put all of this behind me and move on, bad stuff happened but now it's over and I want to get back to my life, whatever that is"

She dropped her fears and nervousness, walking towards him to stand only a few inches away.

"So why don't you come home now?" Her smile hit him before the words did.

"I didn't think I was welcome there anymore"

"It's your house, not mine, if either of us should not be welcome it should be me"

"No, you're always welcome, Belle...even if you decide to leave, you're always welcome"

She felt a little flustered, being so close to him while he said those things. "That's really sweet...and I haven't had the chance to tell you that I made my mind up about that"

Fear flashed across his face. "And what did you decide?"

"I decided that –if you'll have me- that I would like to stay with you and Bae"

Happiness, pure and simple, grew on his face, making his eyes almost glow. She felt a strike of joy at having made him look so happy, she liked seeing that expression on his face.

Without even thinking, Rumplestiltskin leaned forward and kissed her, so happy that he didn't stop to think of whether she would welcome his action or not. The kiss was soft and gentle and his heart beat wildly when she kissed back. Rumplestiltskin had never known such tenderness from a woman and it made his heart thunder in his chest, his skin burning for more of her. Her hand crept into his hair and all intelligible thought became impossible.

They broke apart for air, blue cobalt staring at lizard green and brown; mesmerised. Her skin was so warm and soft and he just couldn't get enough. Stroking her arms and caressing her face was not enough to satisfy him, but she wasn't complaining.

His blood began to boil, lust running through his veins like wild fire and he needed her. His heart told him not to rush things, not to push too far, but something else of a stronger nature had the control and he kissed her again.

She welcomed his touch, holding him flush against her, so he reacted accordingly. His hands began to stray, running down to sit in the dip of her lower back, playing with the collar of her dress, running around to hold the back of her neck and cup the side of her face. She ran her fingernails through his hair, scratching his scalp until he moaned into her mouth.

But then things started to go too far.

Rumplestiltskin put his hand on her hip, holding it in place for him to rub his groin against it. His other hand tangled in her thick mane of hair, almost knotting it around his fingers as he tugged on it, pulling her lips away from his so that he could move his own to her throat. At first she encouraged him, drunk on the overwhelming sensations he was creating in her. His lips were on her neck, his hot breath washing over her sensitive skin and making her moan.

But his kisses turned into bites and then he was pulling at the lace that sewed her bodice closed and Belle realised this was moving too fast.

"Stop, we should stop"

Her words were so breathy and so full of uncertainty that he didn't even hear them. Grinding against her hip and grabbing the shoulders of her dress, trying to pull them down her arms.

"Rumplestiltskin, stop it, you need to stop now"

She was more forceful that time, tearing her hands away from his head and back to press them to his chest and push, but he didn't budge at all. His arms tightened around her, trapping her in his grasp so she couldn't get free.

Her bodice came loose, exposing the torso of her shift. "Let me go, Rumple, stop! Let me go!"

She wriggled and shoved but it was pointless. Suddenly she was on the ground, the Dark One lying on top of her, crushing her into the dirt as he writhed above her, biting into her neck like a trap, determined not to release her.

"Want you...want you so much..." He growled, completely deaf to her pleas.

"Let me go! Please! Rum, stop this, you're hurting me! Let go!"

He was pulling at her skirt, lifting it up above her knees and she started kicking, desperate to get away from him. This was all wrong, some part of her knew this wasn't normal, that something was happening to him. She knew it the moment he raised his head to look down at her before he forced his tongue inside her mouth: his eyes were blacker than the sea of Styx and that was the most terrifying part about this. If it wasn't really him, how could she stop him?

The last time she had been in trouble she had lost her head to the fear, but she knew she needed to think to get out of this before his actions went too far. She bit her tongue to quench down her disgust as she slammed her lips against his, remembering that it wasn't Rumplestiltskin she was kissing, but the Dark One. Her unexpected move threw him off long enough for her to weasel her legs between them and kick with all the strength she had.

He had let go of her in that moment and he went flying, his head smacking against a tree, knocking the darkness from his eyes and leaving pain and confusion; his head foggy since the magic took him over. He shook his head, trying to make the heat and mist clear away. Just when he was beginning to realise what had happened, he froze.

Belle wished she didn't, but when he looked at her she flinched, as though he had belted her across the face. If he had looked guilty before, it was sickening now. The sheer horror that overcame him made her skin feel as cold as ice. She shivered at the very sight of him, the time for clear thinking having passed and she was slowly letting down her guard against the fear and panic that the last few minutes had built up.

Rumplestiltskin opened his mouth to apologise, to beg for forgiveness, to say anything at all to fix what he'd done but he couldn't even speak. He stared down at his hands, her sweat sticking the dirt to his palms, and he felt sick.

"Belle...what have I done?"

She was shaking uncontrollably, hugging herself and hyperventilating and wheezing as she tried to get a grip on herself. How could he have hurt her a second time? "What have I done? Oh, Belle...oh gods...Belle..."

He stood up slowly, leaning against the tree for support, trying to keep as much distance between Belle and himself. He shouldn't even be looking at her, he had no right, and he should just go. He should run until he fell off the face of the earth and was swallowed up by demons from Hell or until he fell into a tar pit and drowned. But he couldn't leave.

Belle was free but she was not stable mentally. She was almost completely catatonic and he couldn't leave her here alone. Lying down like a dog on the ground, Rumple crawled towards her a few steps.

"Belle?" He practically squeaked. "Belle, can you hear me? I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry, I'm really so sorry...Belle?"

She didn't respond. He was close enough to touch her, tentatively reaching out towards her. He brushed his fingertips just barely against her head, his heart sinking horribly when she didn't even flinch. He pressed a little more but she didn't even seem to feel it.

"Belle, please answer me...please...you can't be broken, I couldn't have done that to you...please don't be ruined"

He had destroyed her, first he had watched her die and now he had broken her. He truly was the worst kind of evil, to have done something so horrible to someone as good and pure as Belle. He needed to get her to safety, he couldn't leave her even if he was the cause.

"I need to get you home, Belle, you're not safe here...with me"

He tested out her state a little more, touching her arm and realising she was still exposed. The last thing he wanted to do was to ever use magic on her ever again, but it was the only way to repair the damage to her dress without getting too close, so he waved his hand and her bodice immediately rebound itself. He summoned a thick blanket and draped it around her without touching her; still no response.

The tears were stronger than he was right now, heavy and draining away at the energy of his that was left, the dark power having receded into a small corner of his mind for the time being.

She needed to be moved, they were in the middle of the forest and it was getting dark quickly. They couldn't stay here any longer. Rumplestiltskin went to hold her arm so that he could whisk the both of them back to the cottage, when she came to. She took one look at him reaching for her and she screamed, leaping back so far she nearly hit a tree. She noticed the blanket hanging on her shoulders and she tugged it around her tightly.

"What are you doing?" She demanded, to which he quickly raised his hands up in submission.

He shuffled back a few paces, still down on his knees and almost brushing his chest through the dirt. "You weren't answering, I thought...I thought I broke you, but I couldn't leave you here alone...I couldn't-I shouldn't...I shouldn't be near you..."

Rumplestiltskin became lost to a rampant ongoing of words that merged together and tripped over each other until Belle couldn't understand anything he was saying, but she had gotten the first few parts.

He was beating himself for what he had just done, he couldn't explain his actions to himself let alone to her and she realised he didn't know what had happened. Even if she hadn't known who he was she would have been able to tell that it wasn't him. Eyes did not fill with darkness unless something had taken hold of you.

She knew he was filled with dark power and considering the agelessness of the Dark One it was plausible that it could think for itself at times. She tried to push her most recent experience from her mind, focusing on the feelings and sensations that had occurred just prior. She had felt safe in his arms in that moment, but now she could hardly stand to be anywhere near him.

Every time something was going right, everything would go so wrong. Why did it want her? Why did his dark power want to hurt her and scare her? Why was she a threat? If she was hurt and fragile before...now she was just pissed off.

"Why are these things happening to me? Why do I get the feeling that something is after me or is trying to get rid of me?" Her voice was so steady and calm that it shocked her companion. After what he had done to her, how could she be so mellow?

"Belle? Are you alright?"

Belle looked away, gazing off at nothing in particular while she tried to place all the latest installments in her life out for her to analyse.

"First I try to help a young boy, I end up getting taking away to be someone's slave. Things start to get better and then I get killed by a werewolf and then healed by dark magic. Now I start to mend things in my life and I am betrayed by someone I used to trust in a most revolting way..."

Rumplestiltskin curled in on himself in shame.

"...why do you think that is?" His head perked up slightly when she set her question. "Why is this happening to me?"

* * *

_**Now that I am past this bit I will have much more ease with the rest. Just another one of those annoying 'I know where I want to go, just not how to get there' problems. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter, I'm worried it didn't really make sense  
**_


	12. The Best Kind of Father

_**I know how this story ends now, it all came to me last night, so hopefully these chapters will be up a lot quicker  
**_

* * *

Rumplestiltskin wasn't sure what to do or say, there were many things he wanted to do to himself right now though. With his magic he could cause himself an immeasurable amount of pain, more than any other man deserved. He could punish himself in gruesome ways for what he had nearly done to Belle...but something about her sombre expression and her bizarre lack of anger or fear towards him made him pause.

"Belle?" He sounded as small as a child and it made the Dark One seethe inside him, tamed by the will of his heart and need to protect Belle, but highly irritated that it hadn't been able to finish what it was trying to do.

Belle was deep in thought, wondering if there was some sort of rhyme or reason for the things that had been happening.

"First you can't summon the power to save me from falling to my death and then your own dark power takes you over to try and...rape me. It can't be a coincidence that this happened so soon after the werewolf attack"

Rumple frowned, beginning to catch on. "You think something is after you? Trying to –"

"Get rid of me? Yeah, I do"

"But why? Who on earth would want to get rid of you? What reason could there be?"

Belle rose from the ground, walking towards him with a strange unwavering confidence he hadn't seen in days. She placed a hand on his shoulder; though he noticed she tried to hide a tremor. "It wasn't you who did that, so don't go beating yourself up"

She was on the verge of tears, her logic and understanding of what had just happened doing nothing to take away the clouding emotions it caused. She felt sick and violated, even though he hadn't gotten very far, it had been far enough to shake her up. But she was strong, she was brave and whatever was causing all this she was determined to defeat.

Rumplestiltskin looked up at her, unbelieving of how collected she was when he was such a mess. He had done the evil and she had been the victim, why was she trying to comfort him?

She could see he didn't understand her, so she took his hands in hers and brought him to his feet. "I need you to be strong right now, I need you to be brave because...I am running out...my bravery and strength and sanity, I am running out and I need you to be there to catch me when I fall"

After what had happened, her words seemed ludicrous. But she knew he cared about her, otherwise he wouldn't have kissed her to begin with, he wouldn't be beating himself up so much, he wouldn't have kept her around, and he wouldn't be looking at her with such admiration and innocent hope.

"I need you to help me. The Dark One is trying to get to me and I need to find out why. If you really want to earn my forgiveness, then I need you to help me. Can you do that?"

She was trembling, holding onto his hands as though he were both her salvation and her promised demise. She was shaken and scared, but she needed him more than she feared him.

"Will you help me?" Her voice broke over a strangled sob and he quickly pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly while keeping his hands to her upper back, not wishing to cause her anymore pain or fear.

"Yes, of course I'll help you Belle, anything you want – anything you need me to do, I'll do it. I swear to you"

At first she thought she would be terrified of being touched by him, but his hold on her was so platonic and warm that she wondered if it might be easier to get passed this than she thought. It was so strange, the dark essence that wanted to hurt her resided inside the man who was holding her, and yet she felt almost safe.

... ...

"Where is she? She has been gone for hours!"

"Red, you need to calm down." Jiminy tried to keep her arms down but she was flying about like a lunatic.

"It is way late, Baelfire refuses to go to bed until Belle comes back, the moon is on the rise and while I might be wearing my cloak it is doing nothing to ease my temper"

"Red, please-"

"Shut up! Just shut up! If he has done anything to hurt her I will rip his spine out while he still breathes!"

The cloak may keep her from turning into a vicious werewolf, but it seemed the temper and bloodlust was all Red.

"Where did you even learn such things? I have never heard you speak like that before"

"I have never been this angry before! Now either Belle walks through that door without a mark on her body, within the next 20 minutes, or I go out there, take off my cloak, hunt him down and take my revenge for Peter's death and for everything he has done to Belle"

"Who's done what now?" Belle blanched.

Red and Jiminy both looked suddenly towards the door, one of them sighing quite loudly in relief when they saw her, the other one looking her over like a hawk for the tiniest mark.

Belle stepped into the house, clearing way for Rumplestiltskin to creep in with his head low, like a pup that had been kicked. Red's eyes were burning when she picked up on the dirt on Belle's dress and a scratch on her wrist.

Moving swiftly, she stood between Rumple and Belle, almost knocking the old man over with the force of her movement.

"What the hell did you do to her?" She snapped at the Dark One.

"What?" He didn't know what to say. Belle had kept insisting it wasn't him all the way back, but how could he explain that to her best friend? Of course it was his fault, he brought Belle here, he put her in harm's way and he failed to control the will of the Dark One on more than one occasion.

Thankfully Belle stepped in. "Red, relax, he didn't hurt me." It was the truth enough for her to speak without actually lying; he hadn't really physically hurt her.

"Then why is your dress dirty and your wrist scratched?"

Belle was speechless for a second too long. She had known Red her entire life and she had never seen such wild and unrestrained fury in her before. Unfortunately, Red took her silence as a secret way of telling her she was lying.

"You son of a bitch!"

Red's fist collided with Rumplestiltskin's face before anyone could do anything to stop her. Belle squealed with shock, Jiminy jumped back three paces and Rumple smacked into the wall.

"Red! What are you doing?!" Belle grabbed her best friend by the arms and pulled her away from the spinner, dragging her to the other side of the room. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? He hurt you! I should be ripping his head off right now but you are getting in my way, and for what?!"

"He didn't hurt me! I was out in the woods, lots of sharp branches, sticks and soil. I tripped on a rock and landed on my back in the dirt, my wrist got scratched when I used a branch to pull myself up. And this anger of yours is over a lot more than one stupid scratch"

"He killed Peter! He killed Peter and now I am going to kill him!" If human eyes could change colours hers would be as red as fresh spilled blood.

"What do you mean he killed Peter? When did he do that?"

"He crushed him when his storm ripped the town apart! He pushed me out of the way and he was crushed to death right in front of me!" Tears streaked down her pale skin, the anger making her sick. She couldn't unleash it, she wasn't allowed to attack Rumplestiltskin and it was driving her insane. Belle was in her way and she just wouldn't move.

"Red, enough!" Belle screamed and everyone went silent, including Red.

The room was still and stale, nothing moved, no one breathed all except for Belle. "I understand that you are in pain but there are so many things more important than revenge going on right now. Right now we need Rumplestiltskin, you can't kill him even if I let you. All that would happen is that you would end up dead, Jiminy would be bleeding out on the floor because he tried to help you and I would...I don't even know what I would do, probably something crazy and stupid and self-destructive. Killing him won't bring Peter back, and if you did manage to kill him you would be taking away the only family Baelfire has left. Do you want to be responsible for that?!"

Red was speechless, her anger dripping from her eyes in the tears she shed; escaping her body in the form of clear liquid.

"Do you want to be the one he hates? Do you want to cause him the same pain you are going through right now? Rumplestiltskin may be the Dark One but he is also the father to a motherless boy, he is the only person who stood by him, who cared for him and who loves him more than anything in the world. You loved Peter, he was your friend and your partner, your fiancé and true love. But you still have people, you have me and Jiminy and your granny and all our friends back in town. Baelfire is fifteen years old and he doesn't have that. The town hates him because of his father, no one will take him in, you will leave him alone in this world. You will destroy him. Is that really what you want? Is revenge for Peter's life worth the devastation of another human being?"

Belle neglected to put in herself for Bae. If anything happened to his father she would most certainly step in. She would adopt Bae in a heart's beat and treat him as her own but that information wasn't going to help with Red right now, so she chose to keep that part to herself.

It was a long time before anyone spoke.

The girls were silent, staring at each other with differing intensity. Rum leaned closer to Jiminy to ask a question as quietly as he could manage.

"Where is Bae?"

"He's upstairs." Jiminy gently replied.

"You mean he's in the house? He can hear everything that is being said?"

Jiminy suddenly looked like a gun was being held on him, afraid of what the notorious Dark One would do, but he settled when he realised that Rumplestiltskin's expression wasn't so much of anger but of fear.

"Yes, I'm sorry, we didn't know what else to do. I tried to get Red to calm down but..."

Rumplestiltskin raised a hand in silence and proceeded to make his way up the ladder.

Belle and Red continued to communicate wordlessly, a confusing language that he understood very little about apart from grovelling. Seeking to spend a little time alone with his son, Rumplestiltskin climbed the ladder and pushed open the trapdoor, making a note to cast a soundproofing spell to prevent noise from the lower level from sounding through the roof like he knew it did. His poor boy had probably heard every word.

Baelfire was sitting on Belle's bed, curled up with his knees held tightly to his chest. Traces of light sparkled in his eyes and Rumplestiltskin quickly rushed over to sit beside his son and wipe away the tears.

"Papa? You're back." Bae smiled and hugged his father.

Rumple almost cried himself as he wrapped his arms around his son, holding him safely to him and pressing his lips to the top of his head. "You forget everything that Red said, she doesn't know anything she is talking about"

"Where is Belle? Is she alright?"

He prayed his son wasn't thinking the same thing Red had been suspecting, but his tone had been merely curious, unlike the accusatory voice Red had thrown at him.

"She's down stairs looking after Red, who as you may have noticed has quietened down quite a bit now"

Bae continued to hold onto his father, resting his head against his chest and treasuring this moment together before the real and very complicated world came back to them.

A little while later there was a knock on the trapdoor and Belle's head poked up through the hole.

"Is it alright if I join you guys?" She asked softly.

Bae was more than happy for her to join them, sitting back against the wall and clearing a spot on the bed next to him, making sure to stay snuggled up against his father to his right. Belle came over to sit on his left and he took comfort in the warmth provided by both.

Rumplestiltskin seemed nervous to have Belle so near, but he refrained from saying anything about it and Belle seemed comfortable enough.

Bae looked a little worried, staring oddly at Belle and trying to send silent signals with his eyes and facial expressions. She realised he was trying to tell her something without his father knowing about it and she focused a little more closely. He kept inching his head towards his father and making a sort of pleading look towards her. When she realised what he was trying to say her cheeks went red and she looked very nervous.

While Rumplestiltskin was looking away, busy fighting his own internal battles, Belle quickly shook her head at Bae, but he only looked more insistent. Finally she sighed quietly and gave in.

"Baelfire, why don't you go on to bed, it's late and you've been up late enough as it is"

He looked confused for a moment, but then his face broke out with an understanding smile. "Ok, goodnight Papa," He gave the man a hug before turning to hug Belle, whispering in her ear, "Goodnight Mama"

She prayed that Rumplestiltskin hadn't heard him, and considering the shallow level of his shoulders it seemed her wish had been granted. She really didn't want him to hear Bae call her that, not until she had had the chance to talk to him about it first.

Happily, Baelfire jumped off the bed and skipped off downstairs, leaving the two adults in a relatively awkward silence.

Belle was the first to brave the trial between them. "I need to talk to you about something"

Rumplestiltskin turned his head to face her, staring in surprise. It didn't matter how many times she spoke to him in a calm and friendly voice, he would always be surprised that she wasn't screaming angrily at him or running away, wanting anything than to be near his cowardly, pathetic and dangerous self.

"Anything"

She smiled and he thought his heart might stop. "Those things that I was telling Red...one of them was a lie. If anything ever happened to you and Bae was left an orphan..." The thought left a painful ache in her chest and she prayed it would never happen. "...If something ever happened to you, I would make sure Bae wasn't alone, I would look out for him for you." She waited for his reaction before she told him the next part.

Rumplestiltskin stared at Belle as though she were an angel: the most beautiful creature he had ever seen and the intensity of his gaze made her blush just a little. His eyes were wide and glossy, his gratitude engraved all over his face.

"Really? You would look after him?"

"Of course, Baelfire is a wonderful boy, you raised him very well and I would absolutely want to be there for him if he ever needed me"

He looked like he almost wanted to cry. "Thank you. You are so kind and compassionate, the bravest person I know and I would be eternally grateful if you would care for him in my absence"

She smiled at him, but still seemed a little uncomfortable. "Bae and I had a nice long talk today, about a few things, and he asked something of me that I was unsure about, well that you would be alright with"

"What was it?"

"He...well...he told me what happened to his mother, what really happened"

His face paled. "He knows?"

"Yes, he didn't tell me how but he knows, and he asked me...if I could be his mother instead"

Rumplestiltskin really wasn't sure how to respond to that. His son really had the courage to ask Belle something like that?

"He asked if he could call me 'Mama' and I wanted to know how you felt about that"

"Honestly? If you are comfortable with it, it would make me very happy. He needs someone like you in his life. His real mother was never very good to him, truthfully I was a little glad when she left. She only ever caused us pain and worry even though we loved her very much...I told Bae she was dead because I didn't want him to grow up knowing that his bitch of a mother abandoned him, but I guess he knew anyway." He dug up whatever ounce of guts he could find within himself to say his next words. "Please do this for Bae, I've tried my best but I'm not much of a parent, he needs someone like you: strong, brave and kind. I know he already loves you like a mother, he looks at you the way he once looked at Milah, only now he looks happy"

Unshed tears threatened to fall from Belle's eyes and she wondered how she could have ever thought this man had evil intentions towards her when his heart was so big. Then a certain section of his speech caught up with her.

"What do you mean you're not much of a parent? What on earth are you talking about?"

He seemed just as confused as she was, if not more so.

"Why would you think of yourself like that? You love your son more than anything in the world and he knows that. You would do anything for him, you have done your best for years and now you are just trying to do even better. You are a wonderful father, Rumplestiltskin"

His eyes darkened, an unpleasant shadow hung behind the warm brown. "Me? A 'wonderful' father...I am a coward, Belle, I have been my entire life. I cursed my son with that title. It is one I can never escape, not even the strength and power of the Dark One can hide it. I have been beat down by everyone in this town, working day and night until my fingers bled to make enough to feed my son let alone myself. Some days I would starve in order to feed Bae, too cowardly to demand a fair pay for my hard work. If I had been earning a proper wage, Bae could have had new clothes for his birthday instead of a single silver coin, he could have had toys instead of bits of straw tied together. If I had been a better father he wouldn't have had to suffer so much. Underneath this guise I am an old, cowardly cripple. Milah left me because I was a coward; I drove his own mother away! How can you say I am a wonderful father after that?"

He was grinding his teeth, visibly shaking with frustration and anger, all directed at himself. Belle couldn't believe what she was hearing. He would starve himself to make sure Bae had something to eat, what other kind of father would do such a thing but a good one?

Without really thinking about it, she grabbed his hand and forced him to look at her. He was stunned by her forwardness, but kept quiet, eager to hear what she had to say.

"Rumplestiltskin, if I had to describe you in one word it would 'fool'."

"What?"

"You are a fool, Rumplestiltskin. A silly old man who can't even respect yourself despite all the good you've done. I see men out there in the street who beat their children, there are parents who will starve their kids if they don't behave, push them into hard labour before their bodies are grown enough to handle it, there are some who plan out their entire lives and never give them a choice in anything. Then there are the parents who never show their children any love at all, treat them like a pest or a chore. You have never done any of those things. You tried your best, it isn't your fault that Milah was too weak to do what was right, but you did"

She was filled with such strength that he wouldn't even dream of trying to convince her otherwise.

"You never thought of abandoning your son, you had plenty of chances but you did what was right because you love him. You may not be the best man, but you are certainly the greatest father"


	13. A Single Night

_**A nice long chapter to make up for the wait. This chapter is rated M so I hope you guys will be thrilled  
**_

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His face was frozen in awe. "How can you have so much faith in me?"

Her smile was a blessing all on its own. "Because I've seen the love you have for your son, even with the dark magic that clouds your mind; you have a big heart, Rumplestiltskin. You need to remember that"

Rumplestiltskin found himself quite speechless. How was it that she could see such beauty inside him when he couldn't see any good at all? He had spent so much time believing there was nothing of worth in his soul, for so many years, and yet she had come along and seen so much more than he ever thought there could be.

He would never be able to pinpoint when it had happened, or what had finally made it bloom in his heart, but he was positive now: he was in love with Belle; hopelessly, madly in love with her. There was nothing about her he didn't love: her eyes, her lips, her skin, her mind, her intelligence and quick-thinking; not to mention her endless kindness and compassion. She had forgiven him for all his faults and he had never done anything to earn that.

Her eyes were filled with such conviction that it sparked a light of strength inside him. If she believed he was a good father then who the hell was he to prove her wrong. He could be a good father, and maybe with her help he could be a good man as well. She smiled when she recognised the determination on his face. This was the point everything changed for the better.

He was yet to prove himself to his son but already she was so proud of him for willing to take this stand, for believing in himself, believing that he was good and he had the potential to be even better.

She held his hand a little tighter. "You just need to realise that you have everything you need already, you don't need the magic"

Although his chest tightened with fear, he nodded. Magic always came with a price and it was tearing him and his son apart, this needed to stop now before he lost him forever. He gripped Belle's hand tightly, grinning through teary eyes.

"If we find that way, I'll keep my promise to Bae, if we find a way to get rid of the magic...I'll do it"

The widest of smiles lit up Belle's face, making her glow with joy. She jumped on the bed and threw her arms around him, holding him as close as she could. Rumplestiltskin was a little hesitant but a moment later he was hugging her like his life depended on it. He needed the strength she so willing offered him.

They stayed like that, just holding each other for what might have been forever, their eyes closed and their minds at peace for the first time in days. The cool night beckoned them closer still, their combined warmth enough to keep them from shivering but yearning for something more.

Rumplestiltskin's mind was dizzy with thoughts of Belle and her kindness and how warm she was in his arms. His hands began to wander around her upper back, touching the bare skin of her arm for a moment and she shivered. He pulled back, fearful of what he was doing, that he was making her uncomfortable but she only smiled.

"Sorry," She placed a hand over the spot where he had touched her arm. "It's kind of cold and your hands are really warm." She was trying to tell him that he had not done anything wrong, but when warmth glided over your skin and then was left bared to the cold it struck harder than if the warmth had never been there at all.

Rumple fidgeted, not having properly received her message. "I should probably conjure you a blanket"

He lifted his hands to begin working some of his finest magic when she caught them in her own, guiding them down to rest in her lap. "But I like you more"

His cheeks flushed a bold colour and his wide eyes sought out hers.

Ever so slowly, she leaned forward, trying not to grin at his blush. He froze, unsure of how far she was asking him to go. The last time they had kissed, the Dark One had taken him over and tried to rape her, he couldn't allow that to happen again, he couldn't even risk it, but the dark magic within him had been so docile since then, as though it had burnt out. If the Dark One needed a great deal of magic to actually control him, then it must have used up all its stores. If he kept an eye on how much magical power he was storing in his body then maybe he could keep anything like that from ever happening again.

He would learn to control his power and master the Dark One, no one else would be hurt because of him.

There was something glimmering behind the blue of her eyes, something that told him of her cunning curiosity. Her lips kept parting and sealing every few seconds. There was something she wanted to say, and the pink of her cheeks told him it was making her nervous. He was eager to know what was going on in her mind and he smiled invitingly, trying to encourage her to speak up.

Her eyes betrayed her eagerness to talk, a powerful question just waiting to be released. "Rumple, I was wondering..." The words were right there, on the tip of her tongue and it had something to do with him and he wanted to know what she was thinking, why had she stopped?

Suddenly the light disappeared and Belle shrunk back. "Uh, nothing, never mind, I'm tired and it's late..." She was on her feet in a second, pulling back the covers of the bed and looking like she was preparing for sleep. Rumplestiltskin felt a familiar stab of rejection and the desire to get away before he was hurt even more.

He slipped off the bed, escaping towards the trapdoor before she could see the tears that were beginning to swell in his eyes. He had felt, even if it was only for a moment, that there had been something between them. Maybe he had just imagined the whole damn thing and he was nothing but a giant fool.

"Wait..."

He spun around, forgetting to spare a moment to blink the dampness from his eyes.

"Yes?" He asked eagerly.

It happened again, she was on the verge of speaking her mind, her body almost quivering in anticipation, and then her mouth was shut and she looked away embarrassed. "Never mind, it's silly"

He almost, very nearly almost, turned away, but this time he was going to be the brave one. There was something she wanted and if it came from her it couldn't be silly. Fighting his second nature and borrowing the bravery Belle wasn't using right now, he stepped closer.

"Go on, Belle, it's ok"

She seemed stunned for a moment, more so than he was. "There was...something I wanted to ask of you. But I-uh can't... It's wrong, it's selfish and it wouldn't be fair-"

He took her hand gently and had to remind himself to breathe. "Ask me anyway"

She looked so embarrassed that her cheeks were beet red, something that amused him slightly. She couldn't bear to look him in the eyes, but the shy smile on her face kept him from worrying that he was pushing her too far.

"I just wonder...I was thinking...there is so much I don't know about the world, so much that I will never be able to learn..." Her pause in thought made his chest tighten, his mind going wild with the possibilities of what she might say next. "And I want to understand...love. I want to know...what it feels like to be made love to"

If her cheeks had been red before they were flaming hot now. She looked stuck between being utterly mortified and whimsically hopeful. But Rumplestiltskin felt a deep thick bubble of fear and regret building in his chest.

"So you want to leave, to find someone who can give that to you?" He hated the words as each left his throat, but if it was true, if she had changed her mind and she wanted to go and see the world and find love...he couldn't find it in his heart to try to stop her.

She looked perplexed, as though his question had come out in a foreign language. Then her eyes brightened with understanding and the soft, sweet smile she gave him made him feel slightly foolish, like he was missing the whole joke.

"I wasn't trying to say that I want to leave, I was trying to ask you if...you would-" She paused to breathe nervously. "- be with me, if you would show me what it's like"

He was convinced he had misheard her. She couldn't really have just asked him if he would sleep with her...had she? Before he had the chance to clarify this, she turned away, hurrying over to the single window to avoid his direct gaze.

"I realise that this must sound ridiculous and wrong, it's improper and a whole lot of other things but...after what happened today it should be the very last thing I want to do, I almost got the worst version of the experience. But all I can think about is what might have happened if the Dark One hadn't gotten involved, what it could have been like to feel the things that I've read so much about. I want to know and understand love in that way, and I want to do it with you"

She nervously peeked over her shoulder, trying to determine his reaction. She figured he would either be horrified by her scandalous request or more than a little interested in the offer. He looked so unsure, confused and worried beyond words.

Belle sighed. "I realise that this probably makes me sound insane and maybe after the past week I _have_ lost my mind. I was almost raped today and yet here I am asking you into my bed"

Rumplestiltskin quickly took both her hands in his, forcing a tranquil smile on his face to calm her before her emotions were let loose. He didn't know that much about human behaviour, but he did know that horrible experiences could do a lot of strange things to people. He was worried what that might mean for Belle, if she lost herself even a tenth as much as some of the men that came back from the Ogre Wars did...he would sooner give up his own sanity before that happened to her.

Some of the men had hurt others, some of them had hurt themselves, and some of them broke down in a corner and withered away in the recesses of their own minds. None of that could be allowed to happen to Belle and if this was what she needed to keep her head on straight he would gladly do whatever she said.

"You don't have to justify this to me, Belle, you've been through some horrible things lately and I think you are just looking for a little peace. You're looking for something that makes you feel good, that takes away the fear and worry for a little while. You want someone to show you that there is still goodness and pleasure in the world"

Belle couldn't believe what he was saying, how could he understand her so well when she couldn't decipher half of what he had said from her own feelings? She felt so lost in the fear and pain. Things had been going well until Red had shown up and she felt guilty for blaming her best friend for everything that had happened recently. She needed a way to escape this cage and this was all she could think of to do.

"It's wrong that I should turn to sex to shut my mind up, but I don't know what else there is to do. Every time things start to settle, to get better, something worse happens and I am so sick with waiting for the next bad thing to happen. I just thought that maybe for tonight we could stop that"

"If this is what you want I will give it to you." He smiled genuinely this time, trying to hold back the inappropriate excitement he felt.

"I know you care about me, I know you feel something for me and I feel like I would be taking advantage of that if we did this. Am I just using you if I don't feel the same way?"

His chest twinged painfully. It hurt to hear that she didn't feel the same. "Even so, nothing would make me happier than to be able to bring you such peace of mind, even if it isn't forever"

Her eyes were so expressive, there was nothing she could hide from him as long as she looked at him like that. How could he be so calm when her brain was spiralling out of control with thoughts and feelings she didn't understand?

"Belle, forget about what is right or proper. What do you want? What do you _need_?"

Whatever rules society had made up went out the window in a case like this and he had never cared much for them to begin with. This seemed to give Belle some confidence, she stood up a little straighter and her face was set with resolve.

"As long as you can convince me that the Dark One won't be able to interfere again, what I need right now is you. I want you to teach me what love feels like; show me that I'm not alone"

His heart beat wildly, his breath quickened and his head was almost dizzy with excitement because he knew he could make that promise. "It took the Dark One a great deal of energy to overpower me like that, it drained a lot of magic and it would take days if not weeks to replenish its magic enough to try again, and as long as I use the power often enough I think I can keep it from ever doing that again"

"Are you sure?"

"I am certain of this, it doesn't even have the strength to speak in my mind anymore. The consciousness of the Dark One will be weak for a while. I am the only one in control of my body and my power"

She smiled mischievously. "Well I know one or two spells you could do right now to help keep it that way"

He followed her gaze to the trapdoor that lead downstairs and he grinned. Working more magic than necessary, he created a lock on the door on the inside so that only he or Belle could open the door now. Secondly he showered the room in magic to keep their activities private. He knew how easily sound could pass through the floor. No one below would be able to hear a thing from inside this room, but if something was happening downstairs and they were needed, the voices would carry up to them; just to be safe. The spell he had cast earlier reversed.

"It is done. We can hear them but they can't hear us"

Belle smiled elatedly, so excited about what they were about to do but also wildly nervous. She had read about the act of making love, but she had no way of knowing if she would be any good at it.

Rumplestiltskin could sense her apprehension. She wanted to do this, he had no doubts about that, and he remembered the way he had felt before his first time. "You don't have to worry about being able to please me if that is what is on your mind, you don't have to do anything you don't want to"

She shook her head. "I want to do this, I do, I promise. But I don't know how"

"Then I'll show you"

She breathed a sigh of relief. "That would make things much easier"

Gently, he released one of her hands and guided her towards the bed with the other, instructing her to sit down. They were going to take things slowly, he would give her all the time she needed to get used to the things she was about to feel and he wanted her to be absolutely certain about this.

The only light in the room came from the lamp sitting on a table behind the bed and the orange glow flickered wildly throughout the room, intensified by the level of darkness that surrounded it.

He sat on the bed beside her and began to run his fingers up and down her naked arm. Her eyes closed as all the tension was released from her body. His touch was so soft and his warm fingers made her skin tingle. He was barely touching her and already her mind was beginning to settle, just focusing on his gentle stroking.

He nudged closer so that their hips made contact, and he swept her thick mane of hair over her opposite shoulder, giving him the chance to press his lips against her neck. Her skin was warm and sweet and he slipped his tongue out slightly to taste it. She sighed pleasantly, craning her neck to give him better access. Closing in on the space between them, he moved his hand away from her arm and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her closer.

He had planned to take things slow and gentle, but it seemed Belle wasn't quite satisfied with that idea. His mouth was ripped away from her neck and slammed against her lips. Belle held his head firmly between her hands and she opened her lips without encouragement, bringing their tongues into the battle. He placed both hands on her waist and suddenly she was in his lap, one leg hooked over his hip.

Rumplestiltskin worried this was moving a little too quickly and he tried to slow the pace. "Easy, Belle, there's no need to rush," He said gently once he managed to wrestle his lips away from hers long enough to talk.

Belle tensed in his arms, freezing in place and then she was slipping out of his lap and back onto the bed. "I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from, I was just-"

"It's okay, that's normal, dearie, it is nothing to be ashamed of"

She still looked enflamed and ashamed at her brash move and he bit back the urge to kick himself for what he was about to do. He wanted this so much, but if she wasn't ready, if she had any doubts at all than he would not press her into doing anything.

"I understand that this is something you want, love, but maybe you're not quite ready." She looked up at him with uncertainty. "Many people are pushed into it before they are ready, that is not how it should be for your first time." He cupped her cheek tenderly. "There is no need to rush, there is no reason we have to do this tonight, we can do it another night but only if you are truly ready"

"How do you know when you are ready?"

"You'll know. Now for tonight, how about you just sleep. It has been another big day"

He began to rise, but Belle grabbed his hand as it was slipping away from her face. "Won't you stay at least? Just...hold me?"

"Yes," He nodded. "I will stay"

She smiled in thanks and released his hand. Looking down at her dress, she blushed again. "I should change though, I shouldn't sleep in these clothes"

She looked up in time to see Rumple waggle his fingers in an offering. She nodded gratefully. With a little magic, Belle was dressed in a warm nightgown that covered her arms and upper torso in lace. The skirt began beneath the bust and reached down to her ankles, long and thick. She stood up and twirled around once or twice to get a better look, and noticed her blue dress was clean and folded up upon the table.

"Thank you, it is beautiful"

"And warm"

Smiling, Belle watched him remove his cloak, fold it in half and lay it down on the same table. "I will be fine in these." He said referring to his pants and top. He placed his shoes off to the side and waited for Belle to make the next move.

The bed was small, but large enough to hold them both and she pulled back the covers before climbing in. She pressed her back against the wall, giving Rumplestiltskin more than enough room to fit in beside her. He crawled in, settling into the centre of the bed; holding out his arms for her to sink into.

Belle placed her head beneath his chin and folded up her arms to rest between them. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close while he breathed in her scent. She moved her head slightly into a more comfortable position, subtly nuzzling him at the same time.

"Thank you." She whispered.

They closed their eyes and listened to the comfortable silence that enveloped the small house.

Rumplestiltskin relaxed into a deep state of peace for the first time in his life, holding something so precious close to his heart. He never thought he would ever find himself lying with another again.

The night passed by slowly, and while both of them were quite content, there was a little reason for discomfort. By four hours past midnight, Belle had grown restless as sleep continued to elude her. Her thoughts of hours ago never stopped swirling in her mind, her curiosity thirsting for the knowledge she desired.

"Are you asleep?" Rumplestiltskin's voice was so quiet she almost confused it for a whisper of the wind.

She smiled shyly and remained still. "No"

"I wondered, you did not breathe as slow as one who sleeps, I remember from when Bae and I had to share a single bed"

"How did you feel when he started sleeping in his own bed for the first time?"

He was quiet for a while, recalling the memories from not so long ago. "My bed was warm, I had plenty of room, for the first time in a decade I was...alone when I went to sleep. I could see Bae on the other side of the room, he was fine but...I felt alone"

Belle's hand slipped out from between their bodies and stroked the side of his face. "All these years, everything you have done has been to give your son the happiness he deserves. But when was the last time you thought about your own happiness? When was the last time you were happy?"

"I'm happy now." He offered her, but she wasn't satisfied with that.

"No you're not, you're content but you're not happy"

He wasn't really sure what she meant. In the next moment she was pressing her lips to his tenderly. He felt her hand slip behind his head and begin stroking the back of his scalp in the most wonderful way. They kissed until they were completely out of breath and when they stopped in order to fill their lungs, Belle brought one of her hands down to run along his chest.

"What...Belle"

"Shh, no more talking." She told him, touching her fingertip to his lips. "You have been lonely for so long, Rumplestiltskin, and I want to share this with you"

His eyes widened slightly as he realised what she was talking about. "I thought you weren't ready"

"I didn't think I was, but now I am"

He wasn't sure what the right thing to do was, but when he looked into her eyes and saw her absolute certainty this time, he suddenly knew what to do.

She wanted him to teach her what love felt like, to show her what to do; he would do exactly as she wished.

He pulled her close by the waist, bowing his head and kissing her neck affectionately, going slowly and steadily to see what she liked. Her breathing quickened and she grabbed his shoulders as she bit her lower lip. He tried a little more pressure and she whimpered quietly, trying to remain quiet.

Tucking his mouth beneath her ear, he blew a whisper against her earlobe. "It's okay to make noise, dearie, they can't hear us, remember?"

At that she released her lip from between her teeth and moaned in response to his deep kiss placed at the base of her throat. Her reaction to his ministrations made him burn with longing, the way she curled her hands around his head and held him close, the part of her that had welcomed him into her bed; it was making him just a little dizzy.

His hands swept over her ribs and down to her hips where they rested, keeping their pelvises close together. He covered her neck and upper chest with long, slow kisses that made her scratch his scalp with her nails and make such beautiful sounds he wondered if he was going to be able to last long enough to please her.

Before long, he was lifting up her skirt slowly, giving her all the time she needed to stop him if she changed her mind, but she only urged him, helping him pull it up faster and to expose the soft flesh of her legs to his wandering hands.

Within the next few minutes all clothing had been shed and tossed to the floor and Rumplestiltskin pulled away to get a look at her naked body. There was so much creamy skin and he couldn't keep his hands away any longer. He started slowly, very gently brushing his fingertips over the soft skin of her breast, watching for her reaction. Her eyes fluttered as she moaned and pressed herself firmer to his touch, wrapping her hand around his wrist and pulling his hand flush against her breast. He growled deeply and cupped the soft mound of flesh.

She was so warm and supple and he acted upon a thought, bowing his head down and taking one of her nipples into his mouth, he sucked lightly. She squirmed uncontrollably, holding his head in place while she cried out.

"Oh, gods!"

Her sounds of pleasure went straight to his groin and he rubbed against her while sucking harder on her pert tit. He licked a circle around it and her nails dug into his scalp. He lessened the suction and focused on licking, kissing and gentle nipping, all of which seemed to make her go insane. Before long she was wrapping her legs around his hips and rubbing against him even more enthusiastically than he had been to her.

"Want...Rumple, I need you...right now, please"

She removed her hands from his head and ran them down his back, clawing at his skin and pulling him up. She wanted him inside her and he couldn't wait any longer. Shifting so that he was lying on top of her now, Rumplestiltskin kissed Belle fiercely and snaked his hand down to touch the little nub buried beneath her curls. Belle threw her head back into the pillow and yelled so loudly that for a moment he worried his magic wouldn't be enough to keep it quiet.

"Now, Rumple! I need you now!"

Denying her for not a second more, Rumplestiltskin positioned his aching member at the entrance to her heat and carefully pushed inside. Her initial reaction was to clutch onto his shoulders and squeeze painfully. He remembered how it had been for Milah's first time, how she had been in pain for a minute or two and how she had bled. He placed his mouth next to her ear and whispered.

"Breathe, Belle, the pain will pass, just keep breathing"

She whimpered and this time the sound made him feel a little sick. He continued to whisper soothingly into her ear and he stroked her sides with his fingertips until he felt her body relax against him. When she opened her eyes and kissed him, he knew she was ready.

Slowly he drew out and then pushed back in deeper than before. He quickly found a pace that pleased her most: slow, deep thrusts and endless kisses up and down her neck had her tensing up in his arms all too soon.

Belle cried out and her body trembled as she fell over the precipice, her inner muscles clenching tightly around his member and tugging him over the edge with her. His thrusts became erratic as he spilled his seed inside her.

He kept moving, trying to go just a little deeper while he kept her orgasm going as long as he could make it, and when her whole body melted beneath him, he laid his head on her shoulder and smiled.

"Wow..." She said in a daze. "...much better than in the books"

His brow rose lazily. "Books? What kind of books did you use to read?" His tone was almost accusing, but so obviously playful that he hoped she could find nothing offensive in his question.

Something dark came over her as she looked into his eyes, her own teasingly shadowed with heat and pure contentment. "Wouldn't you like to know?"


End file.
